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RAMBLES IN AMERICA, 



PAST A^D PEESENT. 



ALFRED J. PAIRPOINT. 

AUTHOR OF " UNCLE SAM AND HIS COUNTRY. 



mit lUurtfatiow try $U$# 1. p. f aitpoittt 



" I prize the Past much, but the Present : 


more ! " 








BOSTON : 




JO 


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V 


[.FRED MUDGE & SON, PRINTERS, 








No. 24 Franklin Street. 










1891. 





















Copyright, 

1890, 

Alfred J. Pairpoint. 



. 



u 



THIS WORK 

IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 

TO HIS BELOVED SISTERS, 

ALL OF WHOM HAVE EVER ENCOURAGED HIM IN HIS 

LITERARY EFFORTS, 

OF PAST AND PRESENT MEMORIES. 






THE AUTHOR'S ADDRESS TO HIS READER. 



In dotting down these rambles by the wayside of America, 
the writer had the twofold object in view, that of uniting 
amusement with instruction to his readers, and in a pleasant, 
conversational way has endeavored to describe sights and 
scenes, by river and land, of this wonderful continent, at 
which, during a course of years, he has been personally 
present ; at the same time, to relieve the volume from 
monotony, has introduced into these sketches, anecdotes of 
place and character in many phases, whenever and wherever 
they were to be met with during the sojournings of the 
author. 

In the concluding chapters of this book, a three-months' 
trip to England, Ireland, and Scotland is described in a 
cursory manner, which may prove interesting to people of 
all nationalities who love reading of past and present events. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



FART I. 

PAGE 

New Bedford, Mass. 9 

New Bedford Whaling Wharf {Illustrated) . . . . 11 

Portuguese Masquerade ]C> 

Cruise from New Bedford to Philadelphia. (Illustrated) . i2 

Gay Head. Camp-Meetings at Martha's Vineyard . . . 2"> 

" City of Columbus " Shipwreck 28 

Nantucket and Siasconset 30 

Cod-Fishing at No-man's Land 38 

American War Ship " Kearsarge " 40 

President Harrison at Newport 43 

The British North American Squadron at Newport Harbor . 46 

Dorchester, Mass., Revisited. (Illustrated) .... 48 

Lynn, Mass 52 

Pirates' Dungeon Cave, near Lynn 54 

Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass 55 

Early Settlement of Plymouth, Mass 58 

Provincetown, Cape Cod 60 

Hyannis and Sandwich 65, 67 

Cape Cod Canal 68 

Falmouth and Onset Bay 70, 72 

President Cleveland's Wife, Marion, Mass 73 

Taunton, Mass., Revisited 74 

Squabetty, and its Myriads of Fish. (Illustrated) ... 77 

The Insane Asylum at Taunton 80 

Taunton's Great Celebration of June 4, 1889 .... 83 

Providence, R. 1 87 

Gorham Manufacturing Company, Providence .... 90 

The Cotton Centennial, Pawtucket, 1890 99 

State Prison of Hhode Island 102 

Railway String Teams of Horses, Providence. (Illustrated) . 106 

The Falstaff Club . . , 107 

Hunt's Mills, East Providence Centre 108 

American Religion ; its Observances Ill 

Meriden, Conn 113 

New Britain, Conn 118 

Battle-Flag Day at Hartford, Conn 119 

Wethersneld Prison, near Hartford 121 

The Lady of the Rock, Connecticut 124 

Waterbury, Conn., the "Brass City " 127 

The Family Cat, " Mitey." (Illustrated) 131 



Vlll 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PART II. 

Montreal Carnival Week, January, 1885 . 
Down the St. Lawrence to Quebec . 
Return up the St. Lawrence .... 
Lake Ontario, its Cities, and its Thousand Islands 

Niagara Falls 

The Niagara Suspension Bridge 

Capt. Webb's Fate at Niagara .... 

New York Revisited 

East River Suspension Bridge . 
New York Confidence Men and their Victims . 
Coney Island, 1882, 1883, 1889 .... 
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park 
American Peculiarities. {Illustrated) 
Surprise Parties in America 

Country Board ing-Houses 

Divorces in America . . . 



PART III. 

Baltimore, the " Monumental City'* . 

Washington and its Capitol 

The White House at Washington 

Mount Vernon. Washington's Tomb 

A Trip to a Tobacco Plantation 

Culture and Manufacture of Tobacco. (Illustrated) 

Railway Trip to Philadelphia .... 

Girard College 

The Deluge at Johnstown, Penn. 
The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky 

From Boston to Chicago 

The Stockyard 

Alleghany Mountains 

The Steamships " City of Rome," " Austral," and 

The Prince of Wales and Mr. Gladstone in Edinbui 

The Prince of Wales and Family at the Forth Brid 

Dublin and Cork 

Loudon and its Environs . 

The English Coast . 

Places of Interest 

Henley-on-Thames 

Richmond Park and Kew Gardens 

Sheffield and Birmingham . 

Westminster Abbey . 

New River Company, London, England 

Across the Atlantic. Queenstown to New York (IUnst) 



Dev 
ffli 



222, 



244, 
ated) 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



PAET I. 



New Bedford, Mass. 

Having been located some five years or more in Southern 
Massachusetts, gave the narrator many opportunities to study 
its people, and notice the various surroundings of town and 
country life. New Bedford, Mass., is situated ou Buzzard's 
Bay, and noted for its picturesque inner and outer harbors. 
The city of New Bedford, and the town of Fairhaven on the 
opposite shore, some thirty years ago were the great empo- 
rium of whaling interests ; vessels of all sizes and tonnage 
used to come and go all the year round. The homeward- 
bound ships, laden with whale oil and bone, returning after 
a successful cruise, was always a jolly time for the officers 
and crew, but the outward-bound vessels oftentimes left the 
port with sad-hearted sailors, just parted from their wives 
and little ones, for a separation of a three or four years' V03-- 
age, while the younger and more light-hearted seamen trusted 
in a good catch of whale, and their share of oil money, 
earned by the dangerous calling. 

The Sunday previous to a whaling ship going on her mis- 
sion, a religious service is generally held on board, by the 
chaplain of the Seamen's Bethel, praying for the mariners' 
safe return. To enumerate the numerous hair-breadth es- 
capes of these hardy toilers of the sea would fill many a 
volume ; suffice it to say, lucky owners of vessels, captains 
and mates, and some few seamen, have made large sums in 
their successful ventures of long cruises of whale-hunting. 
At the present time, whaling ships are somewhat scarce at 
the port of New Bedford, oil being found in large quantities 



10 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

in other regions on land. The Pennsylvania oil-wells have 
taken the place, in most part, of whale oil, and their product 
is unsurpassed in clearness and brilliancy, though the quality 
of good sperm-whale oil is much favored by some buyers, 
though of more expensive character. Quite a sight it is to 
see a weather-stained and battered whaling vessel arrive in the 
harbor (surrounded by sailing craft of all sizes), with flags 
and streamers flying from the mast-head down to the deck, 
the jolly Jack-tars nearly crazy with joy on nearing home 
and those they love, after their long absence on such danger- 
ous business. 

New Bedford "Whalers. 

When a whaling vessel is sighted, outside or in the inner 
harbor, the " sharkers," as they are termed, put off in sail- 
boats to meet the ship and board her, and, if possible, help 
the sailors to spend their hard-earned moneys, by the pre- 
tended solicitude for "poor Jack's" welfare, in advancing 
notes, etc., at enormous interest, till the seamen's pay is set- 
tled at the owner's or agent's office. Why the captains, 
owners, or local authorities do not protect these sailors from 
the " sharks " of their hard-won money, is a mystery difficult 
to solve, for many people in New Bedford and elsewhere 
have fattened on their victims' dangerously earned wages. 
And, while the system is a disgrace to the community where 
it exists, the corruptive influence over the poor deluded gulls 
of seamen makes them reckless and improvident, and often- 
times they spend their little all in riot and drunkenness, 
ending occasionally in suicide, or shipping again to sea for 
another long voyage, maybe with curses on their lips for 
those that helped them off again ! But we are informed that 
within these last few months the Marine Board has taken 
more interest in the sailors' affairs, and protected them, in a 
manner, from the greed of the "sharkers," by an enactment 
made and provided, that, to a great extent, prohibits this 
usury of the Jack-tar's money. We trust that this humane 
protection will continue in the seamen's favor, on the return 
from their hazardous voyages of whale fishery. 

In instancing the danger and suffering of seamen, in the 
risks of whale hunting, we may cite that of the whaler ship 
" Napoleon," which sailed from New Bedford in February, 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



11 



1885, with thirty-six men and officers, for the polar seas. 
The following 5th of May they reached Cape Navarin, when 
the vessel was crushed between some icebergs, and the ill- 
fated mariners had to take to the boats, when most of the 
survivors were either drowned or died of exhaustion on land- 
ing among the humane tribes of friendly Indians. Mr. J. 
B. Vincent, a native of Martha's Vineyard, the only survivor 




New Bedford Whaling Wharf. 



(a young man of strong physique) , in his narrative tells of 
his adventures among the native Esquimaux of those bitter 
regions of ice and snow, during the two long years of exile ; 
how kindly he was treated by the natives, until finally res- 
cued by an American revenue cutter. 

The sufferings and hardships of these unfortunate whale 
hunters in the arctic regions, when shipwrecked, are often- 



12 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

times very severe and fatal ; in this instance of the crushing 
of the ship "Napoleon," they were unusually so. The first 
officer of this unfortunate vessel was a native of New Bed- 
ford, and a friend of the writer of this book, and for two 
anxious years his young wife and relatives were in ignorance 
of his fate, till the time of the rescue of Mr. Vincent. 

The illustration of the whaling ship, just returned from a 
long cruise in the polar seas, whale hunting, back to the port 
of New Bedford, is a faithful representation by the artist ; 
and the unloading of the numerous barrels of sperm oil and 
cargo of bone is a scene often witnessed on the quays. The 
wharves at the foot of Union and William Streets,— in fact, 
all that section along the river's front is generally crowded 
with whale oil, awaiting sale and shipment. The effluvia 
arising from so much of the product of the whale is very 
powerful, and has somewhat of a sickening character. 

The battered whaling vessel of many storms, after deliver- 
ing its cargo, is subject to numerous repairs, necessitated by 
its three years' voyage, and the sails are drying in the brisk 
wind, previous to overhauling. Some years ago, a large fire 
took place on these wharves, of oil and bone, and great 
alarm was felt for the safety of the town, by the inflammable 
nature of the conflagration ; but the superior and well- 
equipped fire department has hitherto been able to cope with 
fires of all magnitude, by the prompt responding to calls and 
the zeal and activity of its officers and men. 

'T is a sight, in summer time, to see the big business of 
the Old Colony Railway, in their excursion season, bringing 
many thousands of visitors and tourists from all parts of 
the Union, to the steamboat piers of New Bedford, en route 
to Martha's Vineyard and other points along the coast. Bos- 
ton and Providence send their quota of travellers to this 
favored locality of starting- place of the highway ocean travel. 

New Bedford has some fine residences ; many sea captains 
and owners of vessels have built their houses and retired 
into quiet life here, and the elegant, commodious dwellings 
to be found in this old-fashioned town are not surpassed in 
the State ; while the wealth in the city is very large, many 
of the leading inhabitants being millionnaires. And though 
the natives and residents are a good deal wrapped up in 
themselves, and form a kind of clique in their society of one 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 13 

another, yet there is occasional kindliness of manner, mixed 
with their reservedness towards new-comers. 

The most commanding thoroughfare is County Street, 
where the yards and garden grounds are cultivated with 
great care and luxuriance by many of the proprietors of 
these fine residences ; the avenue of sturdy shade trees make 
this locality popular in the hot season. A ramble along 
Hawthorn Street and its suburbs, leading into the woods and 
dells of the countryside, is delightful in the extreme, and, 
though the falling of the leaf is a somewhat saddened sea- 
son, in its perennial decay of vegetation, it } T et has a charm 
of its own in the myriads of beautiful, variegated leaves of" 
every hue, shape, and color. County Street, within some few 
years, has added a noble sacred edifice to its number, that 
of " New Grace Church," an Episcopalian structure of archi- 
tectural beauty ; an excellent chime of bells was placed in 
position in the belfry tower, a generous gift of a New Bed- 
ford citizen. 

The most prominent of recently built residences is that of 
Mr. John D. Mandells (Hawthorn Street) ; the many gables 
and tall chimueys of the quaint building remind one of the 
old English country mansions. The house is built of curi- 
ous-shaped rock masonry, while the low wall that surrounds- 
the grounds is constructed of peculiar cobble-stones. This 
modern-antique structure is said to have cost a large sum in 
the erection. 

The Wamsutta Mill, at the north end of the city, is one 
of the largest in the United States ; its chief staple article 
of manufacture is white cotton cloth, and is known all over 
the world for its superiority and durability of texture. In 
passing through the different sections of the building, the 
noise is most deafening, by the constant rattle of the 
machinery and whirr and noise of the myriads of running 
gear and spindles. A very noticeable feature is the com- 
paratively small number of mill hands employed in a build- 
ing of its size, and standing on several acres of land, while 
one beholds, apparently, so few men, women, and girls 
attending to the feeding of the machines ; though, in reality, 
we were informed, some twelve hundred hands were en- 
gaged there in daily toil, before the new wing addition of 
buildings. 



14 K AMBLES IN AMERICA. 

The same might be said of the companion mill, called 
"The Potomska," at the south end of the city ; both are 
fine business emporiums, giving work to many — at small 
wages, it is true, but as high as Fall River and elsewhere. 
The close atmosphere of these mills has a sickening effect to 
a visitor ; the extremely high temperature, made necessary for 
the cotton-working, must be very trying to the employees' 
health. In Fall River (the city of mills), when passing 
through the town, one fine, warm day, it was surprising to 
see thousands of mill hands, of both sexes, leaving their 
work at six o'clock (evening), for home, most of them shiv- 
ering along, beshawled and bundled up, on leaving the heated 
rooms, as if it was midwinter, instead of summer time. 

New Bedford, Mass., 1890. 

Of the new busiuess premises of retail store trade, erected 
of late years to the present date, many might be mentioned ; 
from dilapidated shanties of old-fashioned stores and ancient 
dwellings, lofty, red brick blocks of buildings have taken 
their places. A stranger to New Bedford could scarceby 
credit that such fine, expensive structures would possibly 
pay for the erection, considering the size of the city. The 
suburbs of this city have also got the building fever, thanks 
to the extended line of horse-car travel to the outskirts. A 
magnificent Odd Fellows' Hall, with stores under, has just 
been completed, and in the same line of street a movement 
is on foot to extend the dimensions of the post-office. The 
commodious and well-patronized opera house, and variety the- 
atre, Liberty Hall, amuse the citizens with all kinds of plays 
in the theatrical season. The new railway station, at the foot 
of Pearl Street, and facing the river front, is a substantial, 
roomy, well-built depot, of cabled roof, and is much appre- 
ciated by passengers, after the dingy, suffocating terminus of 
olden times. An enclosure of grass sward in front of the 
railway property gives a pleasant effect of beautiful green, as 
the travellers emerge to and from the depot. There are sev- 
eral hotels in New Bedford, the leading one of which is the 
Parker House, a comfortable, home-like hotel, conducted for 
some years by quite a popular caterer, Mr. Holder Brownell ; 
and in the summer season, vachtsmen and visitors generally 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 15 

are to be seen here, enjoying good fare, and having a good 
time, previous to starting to their destinations of Cape Cod, 
Martha's* Vineyard, and Nantucket. 

The streets of New Bedford are in most part very cleanly, 
being built on a hilly eminence. The constant rush of 
water from rains or snow carries away all refuse into the 
river, on low level below. As the business of the whaling 
interest is decreasing here, other commercial enterprises 
have sprung into existence, of various calibre, and where the 
jolly Jack-tar, with his well-tanned cheeks, once rolled along 
the wharf streets, now, to a great extent, the pale-faced mill 
worker or skilled mechanic plods his weary routine of factory 
life, backwards and forwards to his daily toil as a bread- 
winner for his wife and children ; much has changed in a 
few years, and new organizations have sprung rapidly ahead 
and taken root, such as cotton, woollen, and yarn mills. 
Various iron foundries of anchor and smith's work and 
innumerable kinds of business have taken forward steps in 
this ancient city, and ere long the home of the mariners by 
the sea will be one vast beehive of manufacturing industry. 

New Bedford has a growing population, and at June cen- 
sus, 1890, enumerated 45,000 inhabitants, and has no less 
than thirty churches to look after the welfare of the souls of 
its people. The Sabbaths in the whaling city are calm, 
peaceful, and enjoyable ; the meeting-house worshippers 
attend in all kinds of weather, and are generally a numerous 
congregation. 

Yachting Season. 

During the yachting season, New Bedford harbor is quite 
a rendezvous for yacht clubs. The New York, Brooklyn, 
New London, and Boston Yacht Clubs have in turn annu- 
ally anchored in our waters, and have had several good- 
natured rivalry races for prizes, during the summer season, 
with our local club ; the day's pleasant, breezy enjoyment 
generally ending with reception or dance at the commodious 
club-house on the bridge, and oftentimes all yachts in the 
harbor illuminate in the evening with Chinese lanterns, signal 
lamps, etc. On such occasions, numerous row-boats, with 
lady and gentleman occupants, diversify the scene by dart- 
ing here and there (like will-o'-the-wisp) between the fleet, 



16 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

with their tiny signal lights, making quite a weird and roman- 
tic effect. The visiting yachtsmen are invariably pleased 
with the clean and well-kept thoroughfares of New Bed- 
ford. 

The annual review of the New Bedford Yacht Club is 
always an enjoyable sight, and the local well-trimmed craft 
invariably turn out in full force. The balcony of the club- 
house on these occasions is generally filled with visitors, the 
ladies predominating. The commodore's yacht anchors at a 
point between the bridge and Palmer's Island, vice and rear 
commodores' vessels taking their positions right and left of 
the flag-ship. The yachts then sail in review, saluting as 
they pass. The vessels then all sail down the bay, and the 
view of the fleet yachts, with their outspreading sails, is one 
of exceeding beauty as they dash through the frothy foam 
to the buoy station, and return homeward. 

Portuguese Masquerade. 

The annual custom in Fayal and the islands of Portugal 
is to hold, in every year, just before Lent, a masquerade or 
fandango, — a weird kind of native dance in costume. By 
the invitation of a Portuguese friend, the writer of these 
pages was invited to witness at his house the gay carnival 
gathering. On arriving at the Portuguese quarter, Water 
Street, New Bedford, quite a number of people of both 
sexes and all ages had assembled to await the arrival of the 
procession. While waiting, some fun was evinced by the 
lively young Portuguese ladies, who good-naturedly proposed 
an impromptu quadrille, to the music of a banjorette. The 
young men were bashful and hung back, so the writer was 
archly asked by a dark-eyed young lady, dressed in blue, to 
be her partner (it being leap-year), which was cheerfully 
responded to ; the set was made up, and the primitive band 
began its melody, when a sudden stoppage took place. 
The maskers had arrived at the street door, to the number 
of thirty, and were demanding admittance in the name of 
the King of Portugal. The prince and princess led the way, 
then followed knights, officers, and their ladies (all men), 
according to their rank, and took their station on each side 
of the long rooms, and with ornamental trimmed hoops in 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 17 

their hands began the weird native dance, peculiar to their 
country ; the music accompaniment being three guitars or 
banjorettes, two triangles, and a flute whistle, its shrill 
chords being the same for fully half an hour. The fandango 
was kept briskly a-going, country-dance fashion, till the 
sweat ran down below the masked faces, and an old negress 
banjo-player's countenance shone like polished ebony, with 
the warmth of the rooms and exertion of playing, while the 
boy flutist declared to a friend, in confidence, that "his 
wind was nearly gone." At length the chief captain blew 
his signal whistle to cease the everlasting, monotonous dance, 
and after a little breathing time, a ceremony was gone, 
through, of some sort of acting play, in Portuguese dialogue. 
The plot appeared to be in the person of a claimant, an 
officer, for the hand of the princess, and who brandished his 
sword fiercely, and offered to challenge 1o mortal combat 
any one who disputed his claim. A great clamor of tongues 
arose to annihilate this pretender, as the princess was already 
affianced to a prince, and their nuptials were about to be 
solemnized, when this madman of an officer put in his claim. 
He was, however, speedily overpowered, bound hand and 
foot, and incarcerated in one of the numerous castles close 
by. The marriage then took place, without further inter- 
ruption, the tiresome fandango began again, then the pre- 
sentation of guests to the newly wedded pair ended this 
somewhat curious masquerade dance. Comic characters of 
clowns, old women, and rag babies enlivened the grotesque 
and animated scene. Visitors of all ages lined the sides of 
the rooms, standing on chairs, others crowding in passages 
and staircases, to get a glimpse of the maskers, whose cos- 
tumes were very fresh, new, and pretty, and the make-up of 
the young men into young women was truly wonderful. 
The kind host and hostess were very liberal in entertaining 
the dancers with wine and cake and other refreshments, 
before they left for home. We were informed that the 
maskers call at three or four houses, by arrangement, on the 
same evening, and go through the excessive fatigue till 
early hours in the morning. 



18 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



"Taking the Crown" at a Portuguese Church. 

On a Sunday in May, 1884, we witnessed a somewhat 
novel ceremony at a Portuguese church in the south part of 
New Bedford. The custom is, for seven consecutive Sab- 
baths after Easter to hold religious services on behalf of the 
serious-minded man or woman who may wish to become an 
aspirant for salvation, assuming a kind of penance by 
" taking the crown," as it is termed. On these seven Sun- 
days special services and priestly exhortations are delivered, 
with much effect ; extra choral singing and organ recitals, 
aided by a Portuguese band of music, assist to make the 
ceremonial one of very solemn iuterest. At the commence- 
ment of the service, a procession is formed of the officiating 
priests, choristers, and a committee of relatives and friends 
in great number, some carrying lighted candles, others bear- 
ing red canes of sacred office. They thus march to the 
chancel, near the altar of the church, the band and organ 
playing, and the singers chanting till all get to their places. 
In the case of a lady suppliant for the crown, a procession 
of girls, dressed in white, attend her as escort down the aisle. 
When the formal addresses are delivered, interspersed with 
some excellent singing by the ladies and gentlemen of the 
choir, a benediction is given by the priest, the sterling-silver 
crown is placed on the head of the religious aspirant, and 
the procession reforms, and countermarches along the aisle 
to the church door, amid much music and singing. We 
may add that a week of prayer and preparation is enjoined 
on the applicant, before having the crown ceremony. A 
sumptuous repast is invariably given at the devotee's house 
to his friends. 

Fort Phcenix, Fairhaveu. 

Fort Phoenix is an old, dismantled fortress, situated in the 
town of Fairhaven, opposite to New Bedford ; the place used 
to be in a very untidy and dirty condition, its chief inhabit- 
ants being dogs and cats, chickens aud pigs, who made their 
home amongst the old cannou and neglected gun-carriages. 
From the summit of the battlemeut tower a fine view of the 
river Acushnet aud Buzzard's Bav can be seen, and in sum- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 19 

mer time many picnics take place in the fragrant meadows 
adjacent to the ruins of the ancient citadel, where clam-bakes, 
baked beans, and other delicacies are eaten and enjoyed, with 
Nature's covering for a table-cloth, generally winding up with 
an impromptu dance, if a fiddler can be found to play a 
lively jig or polka ; but since the extension of the pleasant 
ride of the horse-cars to this retreat, a dance-hall and refresh- 
ment restaurants have sprung up, with a band of music On 
occasional evenings during the warm season. Fort Phoenix 
and its neighborhood has become quite a noted place for 
artists, — in sketching their marine subjects, — and a great 
resort for the " lovers' ramble," when the soft nothings of the 
hour are repeated over and over again, mostly to willing ears. 
A stroll along the seashore, near the fort, is a very pleasant 
recreation, with the sounds of the soft murmurs of the ocean, 
the splashing of the tide as it ebbs and flows in its natu- 
ral wont, and the watching of the white-winged sails of the 
distant yachts scudding before the wind. The Point road, on 
the other side of the river and commencement of bay (New 
Bedford district), is quite a popular drive for all classes, and 
this pleasant esplanade of some three miles around is much 
enjoyed in fine weather. About midway of the Point is a 
large fortress, in good condition, with numbers of cannon 
and a quantity of ammunition in the citadel's enclosure. A 
ride around the Point road to the head of the river, at 
Acushuet Avenue, is shown to most visitors to the whaling 
city. 

Husking Party at Sconticut Neck. 

"Then come with me, sweet Phillis, ray dear, my lovely bride, 
We '11 jump into the wagon, and all take a ride." 

A large New Bedford pleasure wagon, drawn by four gray 
horses, conveyed a very merry party of some sixteen couples 
of single and married folks to a New England husking, at 
a pleasant country homestead, situated at Sconticut Neck, a 
few miles from Fairhaven. Our well-appointed team soon 
rattled us to our destination, and we then beheld a most 
curious sight, of weird-like description : by the light of the 
moon we saw numbers of friends and acquaintances of our 
own, and numerous neighbors of the farmer's family, already 
hard at work, at the husking, in the spacious barns and yards. 



20 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

The corn sheaves were piled quite high, and as the rows of 
young men and maidens were busily employed, some good- 
natured raillery was enjoyed whenever a red ear was found, 
and the excitement and confusion of the girl, as the finder 
tried to kiss the young lady nearest him as his reward, accord- 
ing to custom at these gatherings. AVhen the husking was 
all completed, we were invited to the farmhouse, where we 
found a most sumptuous supper provided for us by our kind 
entertainers, consisting of the time-honored pots of beans, 
huge sides of corn beef, and pumpkin, apple, and other pies, 
by the score. Coffee, tea, and light refreshments in variety 
were there, all of which the visitors did ample justice to, 
after the arduous duties of husking and flirting. The music 
of four pieces, kindly furnished by a (New Bedford) friend 
of the writer's, added much to the enjoyment of the evening ; 
the merry, lively jigs and country dances were footed with 
great earnestness to the time of the excellent band. Dan- 
cing was kept up till the small hours of the morning, when all 
returned, much gratified at such a pleasant gathering in the 
old family homestead, and made the countryside echo again 
with the gleesome song of " Wait for the Wagon, and We'll 
all Take a Ride." 

Sconticut Neck and Horse-Neck Beach. 

Sconticut is a good locality for catching such fish as scup, 
flat-fish, perch, etc. ; and to try our luck at the piscatory 
sport, we borrowed a neighbor's boat, which proved to be a 
leaky one, and compelled us to take off our shoes and socks, 
— a great mistake. The lower limbs had better be incased 
in their hose, than run the risk of the feet being burnt up by 
a July sun while fishing in an old boat some four hours. If 
the reader is amphibious, and used to being in salt water 
very often, perhaps it does not matter about bare feet ; but 
to a landsman, the exposure to the sun's rays and the briny 
deep is a painful ordeal, causing much pain and swelling for 
days afterwards. You had better be cautious, like the 
" Widow Bedott," who, when asked to be baptized, said, 
" No, indeed ; she had not been immersed all over for twenty 
years, and she was sure she would not commence now." 
Horse-Neck Beach, situated about fifteen miles from New 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 21 

Bedford, and one of those charming inlets of Buzzard's Bay, 
is much frequented in the warm season, for bathing and fish- 
ing. A gentleman friend kindly invited the narrator to a 
day's outing to Horse-Neck, and the recollection of that 
pleasant recreation- is very refreshing. Starting at early 
morning in my friend's well-appointed carriage, with a fast 
roadster, we rattled briskly aloug, reaching" the beach in 
good time for a shore dinner, cooked to perfection, and pre- 
sided over by our genial hostess ; then a ramble on the 
smooth, beautiful sand shore of the famed beach, with the 
invigorating sea-breeze blowing in our faces, and in the com- 
pany of friends whom we met there, gave quite a zest to our 
visit. Our rested horse took us quickly homeward, passing 
through the neighborhood of Nonquit and Dartmouth, in the 
evening's twilight, which added much to the charm of such a 
day's enjoyment, though of past memories. 

Skating and Ice-Boats on Acushnet River. 

During midwinter, the river Acushnet, stretching from New. 
Bedford to Fairhaven (above the bridge) , is generally one 
vast sheet of ice, and the season's carnival of skating is wel- 
comed by thousands of young people of both sexes. The 
merry performers on the skate appear to great advantage ; 
ample space on this frozen water is given for the free display 
of curves, twists, and fantastic evolutions of the swift 
skaters ; the sharp, crisp air from off the bay fans the cheeks 
of the young ladies to a rosy hue, adding quite a charm and 
grace, in the exercise of this healthy enjoyment. When the 
wind is favorable, the ice-boats spread their sails to the 
breeze, and the primitive flying machine goes with great 
velocity over the icy plateau, to the amusement and excite- 
ment of young and old, who scream and laugh, in hilarious 
glee, on being carried at the speed of a locomotive. The 
coasting in America is a great pastime for boys and airls, and 
others of larger growth ; day and night this somewhat dan- 
gerous pastime is practised. The double-rippers, or large 
sleds (when the snow is well hardened), filled with riders, 
•dash down the hills and declivities at a tremendous pace, the 
impetus being so great that the misfortune of a collision with 
an obstruction sometimes is attended with serious results, of 
broken limbs and occasional fatal hurts. 



22 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



A Cruise from New Bedford to Philadelphia, in Schooner 
"Julien Nelson." 



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Life on the ocean wave, 

A home on the rolling deep, 
Where the scattered waters rave, 

And the winds their revels keep! 

Old Song. 

At early dawn, on Friday, June 12, 1885, we heaved up 
anchor, on board the *' Julien Nelson," at the foot of Union 
Street, New Bedford, Mass., bound for the Quaker City. By 
the kind courtesy of captain and mate, the writer of these 
pages was invited for the cruise. Nothing could exceed the 
beauty of that glorious June morning, as the vessel left her 
moorings to drift in the stream, preparatory to getting into 
the bay. The early sun's rays darted in vivid and playful 
slanting lines across the waters of the harbor, and the hush 
and quiet of the yet unawakened day lent a serenity of re- 
pose to the surroundings on shore. With the freshening of 
the wind, the foresail and mainsail were set to the breeze, 
and, as we sailed quickly along the channel course, the order 
for jibs to be unfurled was promptly obeyed, and we speed- 
ily made for the bay, the sparkling waves parting, as our 
gallant vessel dashed through the seethy foam. As we 
ploughed the limpid waters of Buzzard's Bay, quite a fleet of 
vessels was our company for miles, with their white, out- 
stretched wings fully sot, beating out for the ocean. 

The first night at sea, to a landsman, is generally an uncom- 
fortable one, though, through the captain's kindness, I was 
provided with the best state-room on board the snug craft, 
yet the unpleasant motion made one crave for the morning's 
light. At daybreak we sighted Block Island, the large roll- 
ing waves, as usual in that locality, being very wild and tur- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 23 

bulent ; the same evening we brushed by Fire Island, the 
wind still ahead. On Sunday 'morning, a bright and lovely 
day, we skirted the Jersey shore, and had a magnificent view 
of Long Branch, with its pretty cottages and superb hotels. 
It was quite refreshing to watch the shore, and all the moving 
vehicles and animated nature thereon, giving a sense of 
security, as it were, of being in vicinity of the land. As 
the wind changed, we had to make for the open sea again, 
with its long, measured, heaving swell," until we reached 
Barnegat lighthouse, a warning beacon to mariners, on account 
of the shoals in its neighborhood. The remains of the ill- 
fated steamer " Guadaloupe," wrecked on this dangerous 
sand bar, December, 1884, were still there, in the fastness of 
the reef, when we sailed by, — another sad lesson, like the 
"City of Columbus" calamity, only happily without loss of 
life, the sixty passengers and crew being saved. Monday, 
still out at sea, steering for Five Fathom Bank lightship, 
twenty miles from Cape May ; the wind light, causing a vio- 
lent slapping of sails, and a very unpleasant rolling of the 
vessel, and the sun's intense rays pouring down their fiery heat 
on our devoted heads. The only escape from this was to 
find relief in the well-appointed cabin, and try to enjoy a 
read, or attack a meal prepared for us by the excellent stew- 
ard. — the healthy sea-breeze making all hands do full justice 
to the generous table of viands. The wind freshening, we 
got into sight of Cape May. 

On that evening, while in the bay, the atmosphere became 
almost stifling, and the sky cloudy to total blackness, and 
as night closed in, one of those fearful summer squalls took 
place. The constant, vivid, bewildering flashes of lightning 
in a manner enveloped us (as it were) in its electric embrace. 
The whole firmament, right down to the horizon, appeared to 
be alive with the electric fluid, appearing as sheets of flame, 
interspersed with loud, booming claps of thunder, echoing 
along sea and shore with growling murmurs of solemn awe 
and grandeur. The rain lent its aid of discomfort to this 
scene of wildness on the ocean, and the numbers of vessels 
surrounding us caused the captain to promptly order the 
crew to drop anchor and furl sails, to prevent a probable 
collision amongst the fleet in the darkness, except when the 
lightning showed us our dangerous proximity. In a few 



24 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

iours the storm ceased, and the somewhat alarmed passenger 
and weary crew went below and enjoyed a partial night's 
rest. The sail up the bay, and skirting Delaware Break- 
water into the river for nearly one hundred miles, was very 
enjoyable all day Tuesday ; on each side of us were the 
Jerse}' and Delaware shores, and the beautiful marine' resi- 
dences and farm-houses, surrounded by charming gardens, 
were very refreshing to the beholder, after so much sky and 
water. 

As we closed our journey up the Delaware River, the 
amount of business in lumber and coal seemed to be im- 
mense ; all kinds of craft, outward and homeward bound, 
appeared always on the move, from the well-appointed 
steamer to the humblest vessel afloat. 

To attempt to describe Philadelphia would almost fill a 
volume ; the city is teeming with historic interest (and will 
be spoken of in the section devoted to the Quaker City). 
Girard College and grounds ; Fairmount Park and its mag- 
nificent conservatory ; the Zoological Garden near the flowing 
Schuylkill River ; the colossal public buildings of massive 
granite and white marble, then in process of erection, bid- 
ding fair to rival in superb architecture and execution of 
fine masonry any other city in the Union ; the handsome 
and commodious railway station of the Pennsylvania com- 
pany, close by, is another of the great improvements of Phil- 
adelphia ; the spacious and well-appointed new post-office is 
still another of the marvels of progress in the City of Broth- 
erly Love ; the mint, for the manufacture of Uncle Sam's 
coin, was also taken in for inspection, with the above places, 
as sights full of interest, by the New Bedford voyager, and 
he closed his week on shore by a visit to Independence Hall, 
in company with a New Orleans excursion party. 

On our homeward journey down the Delaware River once 
more, we espied numerous vessels laying inside the break- 
water, waiting for the tide or tug-boats to propel the crafts 
to their destination. The return sail to New Bedford was 
very enjoyable ; sunny days and fair winds prevailed nearly 
all the way, glorious sunsets of eventide, winding up with 
the bright moon's rays at night. The only thing wanting to 
make the two weeks' cruise complete, was the charming soci- 
ety of some lady passengers. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 25 



Camp-Meetings at Martha's Vineyard. 

The well-known Martha's Vineyard, or its more modern 
title, " Cottage City," is perhaps the best regulated and most 
patronized of all the revivalists' meetings in America. The 
Methodists and Baptists carry the sway hereabouts, in their 
large tabernacles of worship, so that the old custom of tented 
meetings and tented homes is scarcely ever beheld now. 
But, as an observer of religious observances, we think the 
camp-meetings, as a real benefit to sincere conversion, quite 
questionable, as the mode of converted fervor is too spas- 
modic, and not lasting in its zeal. Yachting, boating, fish- 
ing, and flirting form one part of the amusement of the hour 
to some attenders ; while bathing at all times, and reading 
seaside novels help to pass the remainder of the livelong day 
to others, seated in comfortable rocking-chairs. Thus do 
the genuine camp-followers get through their religious vaca- 
tion, interspersed with occasional attendance at meeting, 
when a noted preacher or evangelist singer comes from 
Boston or elsewhere. 

During the season an amateur fox hunt sometimes takes 
place ; that is to say, a bag with anise-seed is dragged 
along the ground, to entice the fox-hounds to follow the 
trail. It oftentimes happens, however, that some dogs, 
exasperated at not finding a fox, set to work on a flock of 
sheep, worrying or killing some fifteen or more, and maim- 
ing many others, causing much hard feeling amongst the 
farmers, who sally out on their land, armed with shot-guns, 
clubs, and pitchforks, to protect their animals ; and one 
old lady, it is recorded, lately saved her pet lamb from 
destruction by using a large broom freely and forcibly on 
the heads and bodies of the murderous hounds. 

The monotony of the life at Martha's Vineyard, unless 
some lively society is kept up, must be very undesirable for 
any length of time. Miniature lodging-houses are built 
along lonely avenues, where the doors of the sleeping cham- 
bers are generally left open, and the beds visible in the best 
room, or anywhere else to secure an honest penny, in full 
view of the passeis-by. The sandy soil here causes intense 
heat during the day, but cool breezes oftentimes blow over 



"26 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

the island at eventide ; and the qniet gloom of these cottage 
hives is somewhat curious. The sojourners suffer all sorts 
of inconveniences in their temporary homes, because it is 
called " camp life," and considered fashionable, and the right 
thing to do. The only life in the whole affair appears to be 
upon the arrival of a New Bedford or Nantucket steamer ; 
'tis then the "campers" and hotel visitors turn out en 
•masse, either to welcome their friends or ridicule the seasick 
voyagers. 

The grand wind-up of the season, in the latter part of 
August, is the great event of the summer vacation. An 
extensive illumination of most of the cottages all over the 
bluffs is certainly an impressive sight, particularly in some 
of the avenues where the Chinese lanterns have full sway ; 
and the liberal supply of fireworks for two hours, and some 
bands of music playing, make this evening quite a gala 
night, the more so if the weather is propitious. Visitors 
come in thousands from all parts to see this outside show, 
and the confusion and extortionate demands for lodgings at 
hotels and cottages could I »e told with much fun. Suffice it 
to say, one night at this gala time is experience enough 
in the makeshift cottage life, sleeping in rooms not so large 
as a closet. Inconvenient as that may be, it is preferable 
to walking the island, as some have had to do, on illumina- 
tion night. Before closing this subject, allow the writer to 
speak of the bathing of this place. It is no unusual sight 
to see a man emerge from a cottage in some avenue, in full 
bathing costume of short drawers, and walk in a stately man- 
ner to the shore, with umbrella over head and cigar in mouth, 
as proudly as the South Sea Islander did who stole the top 
boots and cocked hat of a naval officer, and then strutted with 
them on, as if full dressed for a dandy. The lady bathers 
generally have water-proof cloaks over their bathing cos- 
tumes when leaving their cottages, and look a little more 
becoming in their costumes than their lords and masters. 

A fine outlook can be seen from the Sea View House, of 
the ocean, on a clear day, which is very refreshing, particu- 
larly if it is breezy ; and as the eye wanders on the distant 
line of the horizon it is then, with placid calmness, that the 
busy man can settle down on the hotel piazza with a fragrant 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 27 

havana, and seem to forget, for a while, common business 
life, and its many attendant anxieties. 

Martha's Vineyard is the largest of the islands of New 
England, being twenty miles long, and at its widest point 
ten miles across. Distant from Boston by rail and boat, 
seventy-eight miles. The western extreme of the island, ter- 
minating in Gay Head, is wild and precipitous, but fashion 
liking the eastern end best, has set the seal of its approval 
upon the bluff that looks out towards Nantucket. It is no 
uncommon thing for from fifty to sixty thousand persons to 
be congregated here in the height of the season. Across a 
deeply indentiug bayou, or iulet, is the village of Vineyard 
Haven, where tourists find rest and repose in its quiet locality. 

Gay Head. 

Gay Head is situated on the western point of Martha's 
Vineyard, about twenty-five miles' pleasant sail from New 
Bedford. The place is noted for its lighthouse, and the 
powerful lenses of thick cut-glass of the lantern or apparatus 
for lighting ; they are among the finest in the United States, 
and were on view at the International Exhibition, London, 
England, 1862. This magnificent luminary can be seen on 
clear nights as far distant as the Point road, New Bedford. 

Gay Head has for its inhabitants a tribe of civilized Indi- 
ans, settled there some two generations ago ; these people 
appear to be very industrious, and civil to strangers, gaining 
their livelihood by tilling the rugged farming land on the 
island, but their best means of existence is by fishing on the 
coast ; lobsters abounding there in great numbers. 

When the summer excursion steamers from New Bedford, 
or elsewhere, made visits to Gay Head, the Indian fishermen 
used to be notified beforehand to be in readiness with their 
large whale-boats, — the steamboat company formerly em- 
ploying these men to convex' the passengers ashore in their 
strong nondescript whale or surf boats, as there was no pier 
or landing place for large craft then. There was much 
amusement amongst the ladies, particularly the elder ones, 
they being afraid the dusky fishermen might upset them in 
the water, or run away with their fair selves to the adjacent 



28 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

wigwams or huts ; the more prudish of the excursionists 
positively declined to land, perhaps on account of decorum 
or timidity : but the young ladies made no demurs, but rather 
liked the excitement of being rowed a few hundred yards by 
the 'dear civilized Indians," and the fun of being handed in 
and out of the boat by a handsome young savage added a 
good deal of zest to the little romance of adventure These 
peaceful half-breeds and their squaws and children sell spe- 
cimens -of the beautiful-colored clays to be found on the 
overhanging bluffs. The view from the peaks and various 
highest points looking down on the ravines of the magnificent- 
colored clays of the cliffs is really grand, and alone worthy 
of a trip to these shores. 

The captain of the steamer " Monohanset" was always very 
kind on these and similar excursions, and invariably took us 
a wide circuit around the Bluffs in sailing homeward, so that 
a good view from all points of interest was obtainable, and 
oftentimes the sight was one of great beauty. As the chan- 
nel between the Vineyard and the main land is the highway 
of all steamer traffic between New York and the South and 
eastern parts of New England, the scene at all times is ani- 
mated, and when a storm threatens, Vineyard Haven is alive 
with ocean craft of all sorts and sizes. Since writing the 
above, a very nice, commodious pier has been erected by the 
steamboat company at Gay Head, thus doing away with the 
services of our Indian friends and their emoluments ; but 
true to their nature, they remain perfectly stoical in the mat- 
ter, and with folded arms and solemn mien witness the land- 
ing and embarkation of passengers with perfect indifference. 

" City of Columbus " Shipwreck. 

Though the summer season of 1883 was very enjoyable in 
the vicinity of Ga} r Head, the reverse was the case in the 
winter time of January, 1884, when the lamentable ship- 
wreck of the ill-fated steamship " City of Columbus " took 
place on the reef of locks called Devil's Bridge, a dangerous 
locality, supposed to be well known to mariners generally ; 
yet at 3.45 a. m., Friday, Jan. 18, the doomed steamer, on 
her voyage from Boston to Savannah, was steered to her 
destruction on the reef, in sight of the lighthouse off Gay 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 29 

Head, and one hundred and nineteen human beings lost, out 
of a number of one hundred and forty-two passengers and 
crew. The heart-rending and harrowing details of the disas- 
ter are no doubt in the memories of my readers, as an event 
which shook the community of Eastern New England and 
elsewhere with feelings of dismay, sorrow, and bereavement. 
To analyze this shocking calamity would be too painful to 
reiterate in all its melancholy bearings ; but the wailing cries 
of " Help ! Help ! " on that wintry January morning, from 
the unfortunate passengers and seamen, were unheeded, 
except by the sobbing of the waves and the hoarse cry of 
the storm-dashed breakers, as they again and again fed their 
fury on the devoted bodies of the lost and the living that 
clung so many weary hours to the masts of the ill-fated 
steamer. In the Lord's name, let us draw a veil over this 
picture of dreadful desolation and wholesale slaughter of 
over one hundred souls, and in pity's sake try to believe that 
those in responsible authority must have been dazed, be- 
witched, bewildered, or something worse, when they deliber- 
ately, on a moonlight night, steered the doomed vessel and 
its living, human freight to instant destruction, as if those 
in command of the ill-fated steamer were lured on to the 
rocks by some wicked sirens of the deep, in thus crushing 
Out the lives of so man}- souls in so culpable a manner. 
Not one woman or child saved, out of the number of thirty- 
four on board, does not speak very favorably for the 
bravery or humanity of the male survivors, in this age of 
chivalry towards the weak and helpless, though it may be 
some allowance must be made for the powerless state of the 
frantic men in their lamentable lack of discipline, the sud- 
denness of the calamity paralyzing all efforts towards duty 
or order ; and the motto, " Every one for himself," was truly 
exemplified here, when nearly twoscore of poor women and 
children were ruthlessly swept away into a watery grave. 
The cold, pitiful, steely moon's rays must have looked on a 
sad and sickening scene, when mothers were dashed from 
their offspring by the cruel waves, amid hurried leave-takings 
of husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, each clinging in 
their last earthly embrace of death agony ; and as the rush- 
ing waters close 1 around them, a wild, piercing cry echoed 



30 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

far and wide, almost, as it were, cursing those whose wilful 
negligence had brought about this tragedy of the sea. 

The writer of these pages had an interview with Capt. 
Gabrielson and his officers, of the revenue cutter " Dexter," 
while she was in New Bedford harbor. It may be remem- 
bered by the reader that the steamer " Dexter" was cruising 
around Newport station when the captain and his men, at 
early dawn, espied the wreck of the " Columbus," and the 
half-frozen men clinging to the masts. Steaming quickly as 
far as they dared go near the rocks, brave Lieut. Rhodes and 
other officers and men plunged into the seething waters 
several times, and rescued all the lives they could ; in which 
humane work they were ably assisted by the Gay Head 
Indians in their staunch whale-boats, on that bitter, disas- 
trous morning. 

In concluding this sad episode of Gay Head, the finishing 
stanza of Mrs. E. E. Brown's admirable poem of the "Co- 
lumbus " disaster may be read with interest by my readers : — 

" For ages to come will our seamen dread 
The terrible rocks around Gay Head. 
In low, hushed voice, and with hearts of fear. 
They will speak of the wreck that was buried here. 
In the midnight wntch they will sit and tell 
The tale that all of us know so well : 
Of the many who sank 'neath the waters blue; 
Of heroes who rescued the struggling few." 

Nantucket and Siasconset. 

Nantucket rests, lonely and remote, far out upon the 
ocean, and is a pleasant sail of some twenty miles from 
Martha's Vineyard, — a charming island to spend a summer 
vacation in. Some good hotels and boarding-houses abound 
here. The townspeople are of a primitive, kindly race, and 
pleased to make acquaintance with strangers. Captains and 
owners of whaling ships and other vessels have located in 
this place, to spend the remainder of their days, and the 
hardy, healthy-looking toilers of the sea may be found every 
day at the wharf-side, amongst the sail-boats, telling yarns 
to old cronies of their experiences many years ago, and 
prophesying fair or foul weather on the morrow. 

Nearlv all the business done in Nantucket is connected 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 31 

with the sea, or with summer boarders, who come here 
every season in great numbers. Some of the old captains' 
stories of the severe winters on this island are of a pitiful 
nature. Oftentimes six weeks have elapsed before a steamer 
could enter the harbor, on account of the ice. With the 
mails, etc., cut off from the mainland, these isolated people 
ha\e to content themselves as best they can. 

A lighthouse is erected on the part nearest the dangerous 
shoal water of the harbor, to warn the mariner of his peril ; 
for in stirring business times, years ago, wrecks were of 
common occurrence. There was a time when Nantucket was 
a rendezvous for a vast fleet of whalers. Those were busy 
days, before the discovery of coal oil, when the whale-ships 
would be home after a four years' cruise, riding at anchor 
outside, waiting to be lightered by the "camels" over the 
sand-bar into port. In these later years Nantucket has 
taken a new lease of prosperity, for visitors have found its 
worth in the invigorating breezes ; handsome villas are being 
erected on its bluffs, and success seems once more to per- 
vade the island. The bluefish in these waters are very pro- 
lific in the season, being caught both by sail-boat and from 
the surf. The sport in July and the following months is 
quite exciting. From the south shore, or Surfside, may be 
seen daily a long line of men and boys, old hands and 
amateur fishermen, throwing their lengthy trolling lines be- 
yond the breakers. Of course, the natives can throw the 
furthest (lasso fashion), and consequently catch most and 
largest of the bluefish. It is no uncommon afternoon's 
catch to take as man} 7 as one hundred fish per man, if he is 
an experienced sportsman. A scene of some excitement to 
the novice is to see the fine, struggling twelve-pounders 
dragged through the surfy water to the beach in such quick 
succession ; it is enough to bewilder a non-fisherman or 
landsman. 

Nantucket is famed for its fish of delicious flavor, and we 
can fairly testify to the epicurean treat they were to us in 
quality and freshness ; the size and numbers of which would 
have amazed our old angler friend, "Isaak Walton," of 
years ago, in his gentle but slow piscatory rambles in the 
quiet nooks of the English rivers. 



32 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

Such a glut of bluefish are captured in the season in and 
about Nantucket, that one cent a pound is all that is offered 
in the town, but more is gained by sending them to the main- 
land, and each steamer carries out a good cargo every trip. 
The late Mr. O'Connor, of the jurisprudence law reputation, 
from New York, had a fine mansion built on the cliffs. 
The outlook from the summit of the residence is one of # the 
best views on the island. The beneficial sea breeze is here 
felt in all its healthy intensity, and one is not surprised at 
the choice of the invalided and aged proprietor of the hand- 
some dwelling preferring his home on the bluffs to any other. 
The breezes from the ocean bestow such life-giving, health- 
restoring, and invigorating aspirations of strength, that the 
sojourner at Nantucket cannot be a long time in precarious 
health when that splendid natural tonic, the breath of the 
ocean, is so soothing, pure, and- strengthening, in its foamy 
beauty, to the invalid and others in want of rest, quiet, and 
bracing sea air. The surf at South Shore, when the wind is 
favorable for it, is a sight of surpassing grandeur. In the 
thousands of miles one has travelled, this magnificent scene, 
in its peculiar style, surpasses all (Niagara excepted). For 
many leagues, the grand, unbroken line of surf-breakers roll 
proudly and defiantly on the beautiful sandy beach, each 
succeeding one of the incoming huge waves trying, as it 
were, to outdo the other, in their superb velocity of forming, 
breaking, and receding, leaving the fine, sandy promenade 
immediately dry. Many hundreds of visitors in summer 
time take the little railway ride from Nantucket to Surfside, 
to view this famed, oceanic, natural sight. Once a year 
an agricultural fair is held, adjacent to the town. The 
selection of the site for the fair-grounds was charming, but 
the poor, thin-looking cattle were pitiful to behold ; and so 
few in number, any one, to look at the dejected animals 
munching corn-stalks ravenously, would have imagined a 
famine to have happened on the island. To call this gath- 
ering of a few lean cows a cattle fair, is about as consistent 
as calling a good-sized farm the universe ; but as the drouth 
of the past season ( 1882) , some farmers explained, was the 
cause of the poor exhibition, we trust the next summer's will 
be more bountiful. Some few good-sized vokes of oxen 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 33 

were here, and they, like the other animals, were devouring 
corn-cobs with avidity. 

Returning from the fair-grounds, we ascended the tower 
of the highest church in the city, and most unfortunately 
arrived on the staircase of the belfry just as the great bell 
of the clock began to strike the hours : it sounded so loud 
and struck so suddenly that we nearly lost our balance, and 
were almost precipitated down the steep stairs. On the 
summit of the tower is a lookout room, guarded by two old 
men, whose duty it is to take turns in watching over the 
island, night and day ; in case of tire, to give the alarm ; for a 
splendid view is here of the island and ocean. On descend- 
ing, we met the town crier (a noted character) peering 
through the crevices of the slats of the belfry tower, on the 
lookout for any passing events, such as an overdue steamer 
or a strange sail, — in fact, anything of an interesting or 
sensational kind. — which is duly chronicled in due time, 
making the town resound with the echo of his tin horn and 
unintelligible, cracked voice, telling of wonderful news. A 
few days after our leaving Nantucket, President Arthur and 
suite landed here for a brief visit of a few hours' duration, 
the government steamer " Dispatch " lying at anchor outside 
the bar meanwhile. What the eccentric town crier could 
have said then, would be difficult to state in these pages ; one 
can only imagine he must have almost choked himself with 
excitement and importance dining the stay of the chief mag- 
istrate of this vast continent on the breezy island. The 
presidential party was taken, by prominent citizens, to Surf- 
side and other points of interest in Nantucket, all of which 
they were well pleased with, and enjoyed very much. 

Since writing the above, various improvements and ex- 
tensions have taken place around and about Nantucket. 
'J he narrow-gauge railwa}- line has been extended from the 
steamboat wharf to Siasconset via Surf side. The quaint old 
town of 'Sconset, of sandy-soil reminiscences, is brought 
within easy access to visitors and others The breakwater, 
when completed, will be a valuable aid to mariners. 

And ere we close of breezy Nantucket, let us remark the 
strong feeling of Sabbath observance and reverence that was 
very noticeable amongst many of the sailing masters of this 



34 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

island. Very few owners of sailing craft unfurl their sails- 
on Sunday ; the bronzed, weather-beaten, and rigid-looking 
sailor countenances shake their heads, " No," in answer to 
Sunday trips. A deep respect is evinced by some of these 
mariners for a reverence of the Sabbath Day, — a grateful 
feeling of thanks for another week of safety and preserva- 
tion from the perils of the deep, and they thus wish to keep 
holy the sacred day by quietude and restful behavior. 
Rough and somewhat uncouth as these Nantucket seamen 
are, yet they have hearts within them that recognize the 
Divine power ; and no class of men have better opportuni- 
ties of judging, when on the ocean, of the might and strength 
of the Almighty's will, than they have, when brought into 
contact with a stormy sea, and the wonderful contrast of sun- 
shine and a still water, thus having ever vividly before their 
minds the beneficent power of the great Ruler of elements. 

Nantucket Jail. 

An obscure-looking building — once a farmhouse, of small 
dimensions — is termed, in fancy parlance, '-the jail of the 
island." The building must have been made near one hun- 
dred years ago, of rough-hewn logs, and then modernized 
from its antiquity by being sheathed or shingled. On our 
entering the yard, a young woman approached us, key in 
hand, for us to inspect the Nantucket prison. She explained 
that her father was away that morning, and no prisoners 
were confined there at present, and that the place was simple, 
whitewashed rooms, with barred windows and very low- 
studded ceilings, all of which we found quite true in its 
veracity. 

Since our visit to Nantucket, quite a noted prisoner is 
incarcerated there, a William H. Chadwick, who was the 
trusted cashier of the Pacific Bank of that town. The em- 
bezzlement of sixty thousand dollars has caused his deten- 
tion in the county jail. Though the imprisonment is almost 
a sinecure, the food of the prisoner coming from the keeper's 
table, he can go out in the yard in the daytime, — that 
means there is no confinement, — or go further in the town, 
if he chooses, as he is trusted by the keeper, but, of course, 
must be in bv nightfall, and not go off the island. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 35> 

The saddest part of this narrative is the fall of a once 
honest man ; and the anguish of an invalid wife and the slur 
of the world on the man's innocent children are not pleasant 
mementos to the embezzler's mind, even though his island 
captivity is not a very severe affair ; yet the stain is there, of 
the once trusted official. 

'Sconset. 

Not all the transient life of the island is visible at Nan- 
tucket village, by any means ; there is a quantity of it at 
'Sconset. 'Sconset is seven miles distant from the landing 
wharf, and when first discovered by the tourist who ventured 
so far, was a village inhabited by fishermen, a hamlet that 
was of little one-story boxes of houses, all shingled down 
the sides, and centring upon a town pump, where it was so 
sandy that the carts were furnished with barrels for wheels. 
Apropos of this, the writer and an artist friend lately drove 
over from Nantucket through a sort of scrub, or miniature 
pine, forest, without a vesture of team road to 'Sconset, with 
the express intention to see the old place, and sketch the 
barrel team. After some research, one of the antiques was 
unearthed, and drawn out into daylight, when the artist was 
in the seventh heaven of delight at finding such a prize for 
a sketch in his coming picture ; while he worked, the narra- 
tor walked along the fine sandy beach, and explored. The 
bathing-ground appeared very precipitous, and somewhat 
dangerous, running steeply down into the sea, but it did not 
deter young men and maidens from venturing in the delight- 
ful surf. Ropes, fastened to stout stakes, are provided for 
the venturesome bathers to lay hold of, and prevent them- 
selves from being carried away by the undertow. 

Our artist friend sketched the large lighthouse on the 
cliffs, and finished the sand cart, also drawing some groups 
of figures on the sands, winding up by strolling amongst the 
fishermen's homes, now chiefly tenanted by city folks in the 
season ; we then took our leave of old-fashioned 'Sconset, 
got into the carriage, lighted another cigar, and drove home- 
ward to the hotel at Nantucket, with good appetites to enjoy 
a portion of broiled bluefish and other condiments. 

During our afternoon visit to 'Sconset, one of those fitful,. 



36 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

unpleasant, vapory fogs at intervals enveloped the place 
with its shadowy embrace, so much so that the artist could 
not thoroughly see his views uecessary for what he wanted ; 
the fog cleared off somewhat, then came on again, more vio- 
lent than ever, making our ride home a chilly one. In the 
fall of the year the island is occasionally visited with this 
misty pest, in the same way as at New Bedford, New York, 
and other localities ; beiug situated near the water, the fog at 
times continues for days without intermission. 

The river Thames, London. England, in the autumn of 
the year, has the same misery to put up with, as in America ; 
though it is oftentimes remarked in the United States that 
fogs are only to be found in the Old Country, any one who 
has travelled some on this continent will find that the New 
Country is blessed with the unpleasant infliction, as well as 
the other side of the Atlantic. 

A continuation of the Nantucket & Surfside Railway at 
'Sconset now gives the visitor a quicker and less expensive 
route, though the ride by team is preferable to a lover of 
Nature ; in every case where convenient, in the rambles of 
the author, he ever preferred the primitive coach, stage, 
buggy, or even sleigh riding, as a diversified change from 
speed} r locomotive car travelling. Of course, we are speak- 
ing now of short journeys. 

Wauwinet. 

Wauwinet is a delightful sail of one hour's duration across 
the harbor from Nantucket's landing place . A pleasant, safe, 
well-managed little craft sails morning and afternoon (Sun- 
days excepted) to this seaside resort. Wauwinet is noted for 
its shore dinners, and the comfortable, cosy, primitive hotel is 
generally crowded with boarders in the season, — regular and 
transient. The little cruise across, beiug generally a smooth 
pleasure ride, is patronized a good deal, — particularly by the 
ladies and children ; but sometimes, by adverse winds, the re- 
turn is delayed to some three hours, by tacking ; and if it 
blows somewhat fresh, the sea becomes rough and unpleasant ; 
generally speaking, however, the sail is delightfully smooth. 
Two fishing-lines were lent by the captain to the passengers, 
and a few bluefish were caught on the journey, the voracious 



RAMBLES* IN AMERICA. 37 

fish snapping at a large piece of. bright metal, the hook being 
attached to it, and in the velocity of the trolling has the 
appearance of :i bait — the delusion unhappily often ends 
fatally for Mr. Bluefish. While strolling along the beach 
at Wauwinet, we saw a sand shark of large size lying 
there, rotting in the noonday sun ; these monsters abound 
here in these waters, but are not the species of man-eating 
sharks; some fishermen in Nantucket occasionally catch 
them, as the livers are considered good for different medical 
purposes. 

Woods Holl and Quisset. 

The channel steamer's route from New Bedford to Oak 
Bluffs and Nantucket has to be made through a somewhat 
narrow, dangerous, rocky highway called "Woods Holl"; 
this portion of Buzzard's Bay is noted for its deep, stony berls 
of rock ; and only experienced pilots or captains that know 
the tides and currents care to cross this chasm of water and 
granite. With such velocity does the water dash through and 
around these rocky beds that the rudders of vessels are 
scarcely manageable, and no steamer or sailing vessel 
scarcely ever ventures through Woods Holl at night, but go 
round by wa} T of Quick's Hole, some nine miles farther, to 
avoid the miniature " Hell Gate." We trust, however, as 
millions of dollars have been granted by Senate and Con- 
gress for the improvement of rivers and harbors of the 
United States, that a small portion may be used to clear a 
free passage in this most needed place as soon as possible. 
About three miles farther on from Woods Holl landing is a 
verj 7 pretty isolated little inlet or small bay — Quisset, form- 
ing a snug harbor for yachtsmen on a short cruise to run in 
and spend the evening, previous to the morning's sail. Good 
hotel accommodation is here, where some nice dinners are 
served, as the writer and his friends can testify ; also 
some excellent fishing is to be had in these waters ; and for 
quiet-minded individuals and invalids, we would recommend 
Quisset as just the place to go to for a pleasant short vaca- 
tion, to rest the mind and invigorate the body by the healthy 
sea breeze blowing across the land, where the visitor can 
ruminate at will, with little or no interruption from the 
outside world. 



38 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



Cod-Fishing at No-Man's Land. 

A party of friends invited the writer of these pages to a 
cod-fishing trip in a sloop yacht of moderate size, "The 
Starling," to the fishing-ground at the eastern point of 
Martha's Vineyard, called " No-Man's Land." It was 
somewhat early in the season, the commencement of May, 
and uncertain weather for amateur fishermen to venture on 
the briny deep all night ; we never thought of that, but 
started at nine o'clock in the evening from the dock at New 
Bedford, all hands in good spirits at the supposed fun we 
were to have ; and the wives and children of the married men 
came to the wharf with tearful eyes to bid us good- by, as if we 
were going off for a journey to the North Pole, instead of a 
two days' cruise to the fishing banks. All being iu readiness, 
the captain and his mate hoisted sail, and away we scudded 
before the wind, and speedily got outside the harbor to 
anchor at Naushon for the night. The first mistake we 
made was, for most of us, to begin smoking briar-root pipes 
and cigars in the close little cabin below, scarcely large 
enough to hold six persons, but which double that number 
managed to crowd into : and in the mean while, as we were 
spinning yarns, singing songs, etc., the weather had sud- 
denly changed bitterly cold, and the sea became very rough 
and unpleasant, with the sharp, breezy wind blowing squally, 
necessitating closing down the hatchway and making things 
"taut" in general for the coming gale; but, unfortunately, 
in making secure from wind and weather, the captain forgot 
that he thus prevented the only means of egress of the stale 
smoke from escaping. Never in one's lifetime can be for- 
gotten the miseries of that night ; inhaling the cigar and 
tobacco smoke and each other's breaths, brought on most 
excruciating headaches and tortures of seasickness of the 
very worst kind ; added to which, there were but few bunks 
or sleeping places, so each fisherman did the best he could, 
under the circumstances, — some lying down with another 
man's feet for his pillow ; others sitting about, half be- 
wildered and stupefied ; others again, so restless with the 
close confinement of the miniature cabin, had to go on deck, 
to be speedily driven back by the cold, icy wind. The nar- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 39 

rator was so unwell with seasickness and smoke fumes that 
he fervently prayed for daylight, to breath some pure, fresh 
air once again. At length a movement was made by the 
skipper and his mate from off the cabin floor, where they had 
passed their night's repose, to cast anchor and away to the 
fishing-ground, as it was now just break of day. The wind 
had greatly freshened during the night, aud the cold was 
most intense, so much so that the kindness of the stronger of 
our party was called into play to the weaker ones ; one in 
particular seemed to have an ague fit ; a blanket and the 
capt dn's oilskin coat was found for this unfortunate, who 
looked more like the "ghost of Hamlet's father" than a 
brave fisherman at No-Man's Land, suffering, as he was, from 
the painful effect of the vomiting and faintness. Never in 
the experience of some of us did a day appear so long and 
tedious, or cod-fishing so disgusting. After a good many 
efforts of fishing, and changing the yacht's course, the sport 
was abandoned for a time, and a chowder was cooked and 
discussed by those whose stomachs could retain the mess, — 
the smell alone being enough for most of us. 

At length (to the writer's great relief), after trying one 
spot and then another all day, and the fishing-ground hav- 
ing proved mostly a failure, the word was given, "About 
ship " for home — New Bedford ! No words sounded dearer 
to the sick man lying on his back in the little cabin, racked 
as he was with suffering and nausea. The sloop " Starling" 
was a stanch, good boat to have withstood the strain of that 
gale on her home stretch ; the waves continually dashed over 
the deck of the little craft every moment, and the wind get- 
ting stronger as evening closed in, made it dangerous for 
those who were able to remain on deck. The skipper was 
an experienced mariner, and remained at the tiller almost 
motionless, steering with a firm hand, and his eagle eyes 
sharply looking aloft at the sails, and giving occasional 
orders to his mate and others able to assist. Great praise 
is due to the captain of that little vessel and his assistant 
for bringing us back safe and sound from injury. Out of 
the eleven of us that went this miserable journey, some nine 
were suffering more or less with cold or seasickness, and one 
young man was heard to exclaim (when at his worst extrem- 



40 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

ity) that he would willingly pay a thousand dollars to be 
placed at that moment on terra firma. For days afterwards 
some of our party still suffered from the effects of the cold 
and exposure, and one or two of them had to pay visits to 
the dentist for tooth-pulling, to allay the gnawing pain of 
face-ache. No permanent injury remained ; while the ma- 
jority of the fishermen hesitate now, when a cod-fishing trip 
is spoken of early in May, off No-Man's Land. 

The American War Ship " Kearsarge." 

The celebrated war steamer " Kearsarge " anchored in New 
Bedford Roads in the summer of 1882. As is pretty well 
known, this renowned vessel destroyed the steamship " Ala- 
bama " in the late Civil War between North and South. It 
may be remembered by some of the older of my readers that 
this steamer "•Alabama" preyed upon all small merchant- 
men of the North, invariably avoiding one of its own calibre 
and tonnage ; thus many lives and much treasure was lost to 
the North by the privateering acts of this fleet-sailing South- 
erner. At length a day of reckoning came. The " Kear- 
sarge," after many fruitless wanderings, came and anchored 
opposite a French port, where the "Alabama" had taken 
refuge. Seeing no alternative. Capt Semmes, of the South- 
ern vessel, sailed out and gave fight to his enemy. A short, 
sharp, decisive battle of cannonading destroyed the terror of 
small craft. Amidst the confusion and cries of the wounded 
and dying, Capt. Semmes escaped in a yacht cruising in sight 
of the naval engagement, thus avoiding being taken prisoner, 
most of his officers also escaping in the same way. 

When, on driving around by the Point road, New Bed- 
ford (a fine esplanade near the city), one could get a good 
view of the noble vessel, the "Kearsarge," as she lay idly 
at anchor in our harbor, on some peaceful government mis- 
sion, one could but ruminate what a grand service this brave 
old ship had done, some eighteen years ago, when party 
feeling and party strife ran very bitter. Capt. Winslow, of 
the " Kearsarge," might well be complimented on his sea- 
manship and bravery, in conjunction with his officers and 
men, by conquering the swift "Alabama," and with one 
dread blow stop the marauding vessel from doing further 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 41 

mischief. The stars and stripes waved gently at the peak 
of the man-of-war of such renown, as we passed her, an 
emblem of stability of the preservation of the Union for 
which so many fought and bled, — sad enough to remember, 
even at this length of time, — yet with results so lasting, and 
blest, we trust, with much good, in the keeping together of 
a great people under one flag, and in the abolition of that 
plague spot, the slavery curse of the South, which once so 
blighted this wide domain and fair land of America A 
dearly purchased freedom, one would s:iy, in the tragic ending 
of the Civil War by the death of the nation's idol, Abraham 
Lincoln, and his brave army of heroic citizen soldiers ! 

Block Island. 

During the summer season, a number of pleasant excur- 
sions take place from New Bedford, by the steamer " Mono- 
hanset," one of which is the sail to Block Island and return 
the same day ; the distance is about fifty miles from New 
Bedford, and twelve miles from Newport. If the weather 
is favorable and the sea smooth, much enjoyment is got out 
of the trip ; but if the bay is boisterous, good-by for comfort 
to the sufferer. The day our party went proved to be an 
exceptionally fine one ; the water was as smooth as a lake, 
and the sun's rays played in and out of the saloon, as if also 
pleased with the occasion ; music on board chanted its strains 
merrily, as we sailed along at good speed in the invigorating 
sea breeze. Arriving at our destination, we found a large 
excursion steamer, from Newport, had just come in, full of 
merry faces, — young and old, — all charmed with the beauty 
and pleasures of the day. With some friends we visited the 
lighthouse, — one of the many tine apparatuses this country 
so humanely possesses, to warn the benighted mariner of his 
peril on this coast. Let me tell the reader, however, when 
paying a visit to Block Island, to avoid walking through 
fields and jumping over stone walls, on a scorching hot day, 
to visit the lighthouse ; the, distance is too far to walk ; better 
to ride by team than run the risk of sunstroke, for it seemed 
as if one could never get cool again after that sultry stroll 
across lots. The visitors picnicked on the green sward, near 



42 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

a fine spring of pure mineral water, while others went to the 
various hotels for dinner, and the three hours allotted us by 
the genial captain of the steamer " Monohanset," before 
returning homeward, were much enjoyed on that breezy even- 
ing sail across Buzzard's Bay to New Bedford. 

Let us add, however, a second journey, in August, 1883, to 
Block Island, proved very unfavorable to the travellers ; the 
fine day at starting and the treacherous, calm look of the bay 
lured us sufferers to our doom of terrible seasickness. Of the 
number of five hundred passengers, two thirds were sick, with 
a vengeance, going and returning ; the undertow, or ground 
swell, caused the steamer to roll with a sideward movement 
that upset our stomachs to a painful degree, every white- 
faced voyager vowing vengeance against the journey on a 
rolling day. The surf, however, was a grand sight to behold, 
in its fierce magnitude. Some friends — amongst them two 
or three young ladies — tried to appear brave, but finally 
collapsed, and paid their respects to old Father Ocean, like 
the rest of us. 

In September, 1889, occurred one of the fiercest gales on 
the Atlantic seaboard, which will long be remembered. 
Coney Island was submerged, the hotels in part destroyed ; 
Long Branch and Rockaway Beach had tidal waves that 
swept all before them. Innumerable were the wrecks and 
loss of life of this week's terrible gale, and the brave 
deeds of the life-saving men, who did heroic and noble acts 
of daring to save poor struggling souls clinging to masts 
of doomed vessels. Block Island, of course, with its wild, 
tempestuous sea, came in for its share of storm tide. The 
steamer u Mount Hope," which left Providence for Block 
Island, Saturday, Sept. 8, with passengers, could not return 
for them till about a week, and the benighted and bewildered 
people had to remain on the island and live on fish at the 
hotels till the gale abated. Some friends of the writer, who 
were detained on the island, describe the sight of the rolling 
sea and the immense raising of the surf as a spectacle 
almost beyond description in its fierce grandeur. 



RAMBLES IN AxMERICA. 43 



President Harrison at Newport, R. I., July 5, 1889. 

Newport has had the honor of welcoming many Presidents 
of the United States to its shores, and to-day extends the 
hand of friendship to Gen. Benjamin Harrison and the dis- 
tinguished gentlemen accompanying him. The government 
steamer "Despatch" brought the presidential party from 
New London, who were received by Gov. Ladd and Sen- 
ator Aldrich and dockyard officials. The President and 
Secretary Tracy, of the navy, and a large party of notable 
guests inspected the torpedo station, where several experi- 
ments were made of that wonderful invention. A salute of 
twent}-one torpedoes was fired from the island with fine 
effect, the volume of water thrown being immense. A brief 
visit to the training ship for boys was much enjoyed by the 
presidential party, but the short stay was not long enough to 
please the youngsters and their officers, who wanted to show 
at some length their marine evolutions to the Washington 
guests. The party, on returning in the captain's gig, from 
the bow of which floated the President's flag, found carriages 
in waiting at the Navy Yard wharf, to convey the visitors to 
the State House of Newport, to be present at an informal 
reception of the public generally between five and six 
o'clock p. m. Promptly on time the party drove up to the 
building, when the President alighted and wearily ascended 
the steps of the State House, in company with Secretary 
Tracy, Senators Aldrich and Dixon of Rhode Island, Gov. 
Ladd, Mayor Coggeshall, and other gentlemen, who stood in 
a semicircle and received a motley crowd of men, women, 
and children, white and colored, who eagerly streamed into 
the building, and shook hands with most of the presidential 
party. A cordon of policemen had to prevent curiosity 
mongers from halting in the passageway, as many of the 
"presented" would linger, and ask ridiculous questions. 
The President appeared a very tired man ; pale and ashen his 
complexion looked, partly, no doubt, from the fatigue and 
heat of the July day, though his good-nature showed itself 
by his quiet, amused smile and a bow, as he greeted us as 
we advanced and passed along out by the west exit of the 
State House. At 6.40 it was found necessary to close the 



44 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

doors, ou account, we suppose, of the fatigue of shaking 
hands with some fifteen hundred people. Among those pre- 
sented was an infant of a Mrs. Burdick, who, with its 
mother, was a survivor of the Johnstown flood. The baby 
was taken in the arms of each of the receiving party in turn, 
and kissed. The child, when grown up, will be proud of 
the honor, no doubt, of being caressed by such a renowned 
company. A grand dinner in the evening was given at 
Gov. Ladd's cottage, on Bellevue Avenue, to the President 
and his party, augmented by a number of select Newport 
guests of distinguished character. At 12 p. m. the party 
embarked on board the steamer " Despatch" for New York, 
and when opposite the island, the great marine search-light 
flashed out from the torpedo station, and a huge column 
of water shot up in the wake of the illuminator. It was 
the parting salute to the " Despatch " and its notable pas- 
sengers, who had had such a brief but such a thoroughly 
enjoyable time in the capital of little Rhode Island. 

Newport in the Season of July and August, 1889. 

Newport, as a resort of wealth and fashion, is perhaps 
unrivalled during the summer months, and a fair share of the 
plebian classes also enjoy its man}' attractions of beach, 
bathing, and pleasant avenue drives. To a weary city man, 
a visit to Newport means renewed health and restored vigor. 
A friend of mine, who has a penchant for strolling on the 
beautiful beach of velvet sand at almost sunrise, had con- 
vinced the writer of its healthy effects, and often together we 
have rambled for a couple of hours, the ocean breeze fanning 
our cheeks with life-giving fervor. A heart} 7 breakfast at 
our hotel and another visit to the crowded beach for a bathe 
are among the delights of Newport. The ocean drive, as it is 
termed, or a ride to Bailey's Beach, gives a fine opportunity 
along Bellevue Avenue to view the man}- magnificent 
cottages and villas for the wealth}'. The numerous stylish 
carriages and dog-carts, or perhaps village carts, with clean- 
groomed horses, clash along the avenues, ofteu driven by well- 
dressed ladies and young girls, the grooms sitting ou the back 
seat complacently, with folded arms. A nice trip from New- 



EAMBLES IN AMERICA. 45 

port to Block Island or Narraganset Pier is very enjoyable, 
or to Brenton Reef lightship, and sail around the harbor, 
passing Fort Adams and the mouth of Seconnet River. The 
last evening of our stay a band concert was given in the 
park, and fireworks ; also the old tower was lighted up with 
red-fire, which gave quite a weird effect to the hundreds of 
faces looking on. My Providence friend and his daughters 
tired the narrator out with the weariness of promenading on 
a hot July evening, and we all with one mind returned to the 
hotel, glad of rest on the garden seats of the cool green 
sward. 

To drive along the Cliff road and the avenues of Newport 
on a sunny afternoon is a great delight, particularly in con- 
junction with the natural adornments of the surrounding 
neighborhood and the salt freshness of the sea-lined coast ; 
around you are such palatial residences as only millionnaires 
are supposed to live in ; a pageant of equipages and a fleet- 
ing vision of fair faces, their beauty all aglow with the 
splendid fresh sea breeze and the excitement of driving fast 
horses in every species of fashionable cart. Of course New- 
port society of upper-ten is an exclusive one to the class in 
which it belongs, which causes a sort of hauteur and reserved- 
ness within its own circle, and which makes the remark of 
dulness by numerous visitors. Excitement and amusements 
there surely are beneath that placid front, but the eyes of 
the multitude are forbidden to view the same. Then again, 
the Newport society belle, calm as she appears, if her parents 
grant permission, at least once a week sails across the bay 
to Narraganset Pier, where the men are said to be so awfully 
nice, and flirting, dancing, bathing, and ice-cream eating are 
the order of the day there. Naturally, there is a difference 
in the gayeties of Newport and Narraganset ; the former 
rigidly exclusive, the latter free and easy, where all well- 
dressed-appearing people unbend to each other with slight 
introductions. To see the enjoyment of the day's excursion- 
ist to Newport is quite a feature ; riding in the wagonette or 
stage from steamboat wharf to the various beaches for a dip 
in the sea ; and on the road, to watch the superciliousness of 
the dainty miss or madame, as she reclines in regal state 
amongst the cushions of her carriage, lazily and sometimes 



46 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

haughtily gazing with increased wonderment at the continual 
encroachment of the masses of common, every-day people, 
who have dared to evade fair Newport during the season, is 
a sight to behold. The prim visitor of a Newport maiden, 
as she is seen daintily tiptoeing down from her bath-house, 
clad in a stylish bathing suit and silk stockings, and the 
undulating curves of her agile body, makes a fascinating 
bather. Instead of splashing in, however, as the sturdy 
excursionist or her friends at Narraganset do, she toys for 
some time in getting out as far as her knees, then at last 
makes a decision of a little dive in about two feet of water 
from a gentle wave. In contrast with this young lady's 
primness in the surf, others of her less-favored sisters enjoy 
the ocean rollers as the}' should be enjoyed in this glorious 
ocean bath. 

Sept. 8th to the 14th, of 1889, was fraught with disastrous 
results to the bathing-beach restaurant ; the cyclone of wind 
and surf carried all before them, the dash of the sea reaching 
across the promenades, and the surf at Spouting Rock was a 
sight to behold. This memorable time will long be remem- 
bered as a week's turbulence of Old Ocean, stretching along 
the Atlantic coast in its violent agitation of upheaving*. 
The gale was so severe that not any passenger steamer 
could venture in or out of the harbor during this severe Sep- 
tember equinoctial storm. 

In June of each year the Quaker Society have a reunion of 
friends from all parts of the States to Newport, and hold a 
conference forborne days, to transact their busiuess, religious 
aud secular, for the ensuing twelve months. 

The British North American Squadron at Newport Harbor. 

The " Bellerophon," flag-ship of Vice- Admiral Watson, 
the "Canada" and "Partridge," war vessels, came into 
Newport harbor for a few days, on Aug. 1, 1890, and the 
advent of these war cruisers was the signal of a general 
jubilee at the fashionable watering-place, notwithstanding that 
Prince George of Wales omitted to call here, for thousands 
of excursionists came from all parts of the Union, by rail and 
boat. The excitement and anxiety to get on board the 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 47 

"■ Bellerophon " were quite amusing. A fleet of yachts, sail- 
boats, and small steamers, crowded with people, were seen 
hurrying across the bay from ten to five, daily, and for a 
novice to visit the large war-ship was quite interesting, par- 
ticularly to see the huge gun equipments. We were informed 
that there were twenty large cannons, twenty-four smaller 
calibre, and several quick-firing guns, added to which arma- 
ment about six hundred and fifty Jack-tars and marines, all 
fully armed, would make the flag-ship a formidable enemy in 
case of need, though, of course, the latest mode of warfare 
is of more deadly character, with its torpedo boats, etc. 
During our stay on board, an informal reception was given 
by Admiral Watson on the quarter-deck, to American offi- 
cers and their ladies, also to Newport's notables and upper- 
ten cottagers. A sentry-guard was stationed at the foot of 
the staircase, approaching the sacred precincts of the quarter- 
deck, to keep the excursionists off, but an old lady made the 
attempt to gain a footing on the companion-ladder, when the 
young English soldier warned her away. " But," she exclaimed, 
" I understood this ship was free to everybody to-day." 
Visitors were courteously shown above and below decks ; 
everything looking bright and neat, — man-of-war fashion. 
An episode happened during our visit : a boat-load of desert- 
ers had put off to one of the adjacent islands, but most of 
the runaways were speedily recaptured, two being wounded, 
after some resistance to the armed force sent after them ; 
some few of the men escaped into Newport, thence to Bos - 
ton ; but altogether, it was said, when the squadron left th e 
harbor two days afterwards, some sixteen sailors and marine s 
were missing. When the excitement of capture was over , 
and the men put in irons below, the Marine Band continue d 
its music gayly, the admiral's reception went on again, an d 
the wine toasts, no doubt, were repeated. By the health y- 
looking condition of the men of the war-ships, one is a pt 
to be surprised at their desertion from duty, as they all sign ed 
for a three years' cruise, and sixteen months had alrea dy 
elapsed ; but golden America (as some suppose) being clo se 
at hand, was no doubt the temptation to these young rover s. 
During the squadron's stay, the New York Yacht Club cam e 
into Newport waters, and the gala time at the seashore city 



48 RAMBJ.ES IN AMERICA. 

was something worth seeing. Every evening the fleet of 
yachts illuminated, and Commodore Gerry's fine vessel, the 
" Electra," was arched over by a mass of electric lights, 
causing a fine appearance. On Sunday all of the yachts in 
the harbor were decorated with bunting, and the New York 
Club-house was in constant requisition by the steady flow of 
well-dressed and handsome ladies and their escort of bronzed 
yachtsmen, coming over to view the town and pay calls. On 
Wednesday, Aug. 6, the English war-ships weighed anchor, 
and sailed in company for Halifax, much to the sorrow of 
the Newport merchants, who supplied large quantities of 
stores to those vessels while riding at anchor. 

Before leaving this favored spot of Nature, — Newport, — 
a few words respecting the visit, which is remembered with 
much pleasure A kindly invitation to spend a few days at 
a charming cottage on the Bluffs, surrounded by its own 
grounds, and overlooking the ocean highway, was enjoyed 
with much zest ; and a horse and carriage placed at the 
writer's disposal, and driven around to points of interest by 
my hospitable entertainer and his worthy family, are remem- 
bered very pleasantly those sunny August days. The elec- 
tric cars on tbe Newport roads are a source of danger to 
carriage occupants, by frightening the horses to an alarming 
degree, in some instances, though the boon to the general 
public is great, in the rapid transit around and about the city. 

Dorchester, Mass., Revisited. 

Like "Rip Van Winkle," after his twenty years' sleep, the 
writer of these pages stepped into the good old town of 
Dorchester, a place where the author spent two happy years 
of his early life. Naturally one finds, after many seasons' 
absence, a great many changes of localities and individuals 
and old landmarks. Numbers of my friends had passed 
away to rest ; while others, who were little children years 
ago, had become men and women giown, most of them mar- 
ried and have families of their own. The aged postmaster 
remained in life at our visit, and greeted us with much 
warmth of feeling, but his feeble frame was fast losing its 
hold of things on this earth, and the dear old man has since 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA; 49 

been gathered to his kindred. Others remain yet that one 
remembered long ago ; their locks are now whitened with 
age, yet their ever kindly welcome to the traveller of other 
lands was a renewal of the pleasant reminiscences of the 
past, with still the same old zest of hearty good-will as in 
former days. Outside of these recollections of days gone 
by, one sees many innovations in the famed old town, which 
is now annexed to Boston : new streets, new dwellings, new 
thoroughfares, and new surroundings, with graded, finely cut 
roads diverging to the four points of the compass. Horse- 
car travel and electric cars from Hoston's busy city have 
taken the place of the time-honored stage of years ago ; in 
fact, everything has grown fast nnd furious in its progress 
from the old plodding ways of many winters since. The 
ancient landmarks are nearly all obliterated, except where it 
is an impossibility ; and one sometimes feels, in inquiring 
about certain localities and inhabitants, as if in the asking, it 
was as a stranger and not as a former resident. Everything 
seemed changed, in many respects. The old fire department 
quarters (of which the writer was once a member) were 
swept away years since, and a more commodious and stylish 
building erected in its stead, with the jaunty steam fire- 
engine of modern times, glistening with polished brass and 
painted in bright colors, thus taking tbe place of the old 
" Torrent, No. 3," a manual engine that used to be worked 
by willing hands and stout hearts of the then young amateur 
firemen of that period. The recollections of the Dorchester 
fire companies of years ago have some very pleasant rem- 
iniscenes in them ; visions of pretty daughters of kind 
parents, bringing the firemen hot coffee and cakes during the 
hard work of the hour of fiery blaze ; and after the danger 
was over (all honor to the brave fellows who risked so much 
to save their neighbors' propert} 7 and fellow-creatures' lives), 
these same American ladies, by their charming naivete of 
manner in thanking us for our efforts, added a great stimu- 
lus of encouragement by thus cheering us on to further good. 
The smart firemen of to-day, in the pay of the local gov- 
ernment, dressed in uniform of blue, are no smarter than the 
dashing young volunteer firemen of twenty years ago, who 
so ably assisted to propel the manual engine along by the 



50 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

long, stout rope to the scene of conflagration, with all the 
ardor and rivalry of gallant men, " ever ready" to save life 
and property, at any risk. 

The fire system of to-day is necessarily much improved in 
discipline, and has become quite a business science, in its 
methodical exactness and promptitude ; even the very horses 
in the department are disciplined into the excitement of being 
on the alert and ever ready ; the really gifted animals on the 
alarm of fire-bell trot into their places in the shafts or pole of 
the engine, and, being in part always harnessed, night and 
day, the cavalcade of humanity and mercy is on its humane 
and courageous mission within a few moments of its sum- 
mons. 

Then farewell, dear old Dorchester ! Thy memories of retro- 
spection have become a mixed enjoyment of pleasure and sad- 
ness to the wanderer in many lands. Goon with thy changes 
for better or worse, and, like other towns and cities, those 
within thy precincts will play their part in life's history and 
pass away ; others will take their places, and so the world 
moves around, to the joy and prosperity of some, and to the 
failure and disappointment of many. Go on, kind old town, 
in thy whirl of changes and in the evolution of the turnings 
of Fate's progress. Be merciful, kind Destin}', to the unfor- 
tunate and weary in the race of life's pilgrimage. 

Before taking our final leave of Dorchester, permit the 
writer to relate an incident which happened on his first visit 
to this town, many years ago. Being out of health, he was 
advised by a physician to try horseback riding before break- 
fast, to get up an appetite. Accompanied by an American 
friend we started off one fine morning, well mounted on good- 
looking chargers ; my companion bestrode a dark-bay horse, 
mine being (unfortunately) a cream-colored animal. All 
went well for a time, we feeling exhilarated with our riding 
exercise on the fresh spring morniugtide, when, lo and 
behold, two large, powerful mastiff dogs bounded from an 
open gateway, and barked and jumped at our horses' faces 
in a most terrific manner. My steed being of light color 
caused the most attention from the half -mad curs, both of 
whom continued to snarl, bark, and jump in the most vicious 
manner, till my horse became entirely unmanageable and 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



51 



took fright, shying from one side of the road to the other, 
finally throwing me heavily to the ground and leaving one 
foot caught in the iron stirrup, the frightened animal drag- 
ging the unfortunate horseman straight along a country cor- 
duroy road, noted for its roughness of macadamizing ; away 
went the maddened steed aud dethroned rider, who was 
dragged, bumped, jolted, and bruised for some distance. 




My thoughts for a few seconds, on looking upward at the 
horse's fleeting hoofs, ran thuswise : life is not worth much 
just now, and the visions of dear ones at home passed 
rapidly, like a disordered dream, before me, as consciousness 
was fast ebbing away, but, providentiall}-, my foot got 
released at last from the stirrup, the startled horse dashing 
off with renewed vigor as he felt lightened aud free from his 
burden. The cowardly dogs carried on the pursuit for a mile 
or two, then slunk away ; while the poor seeker after health 
was assisted to rise by the alarmed bystanders, bruised and 
bleeding, with garments torn and tattered, lookiug quite a 
forlorn equestrian spectacle after taking such violent early 
mornino- exercise, with appetite not improved. My friend 



52 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

escaped injury, partly, perhaps, being a better rider than 1113- 
self, or his horse not being so objectionable in color to the 
currish mastiffs. Acquaintances advised me to prosecute by 
law the owners of the vicious dogs, but as no bones were 
broken, and the writer was more frightened than hurt, he 
declined to go into litigation. Looking back, after a long 
vista of years, on this accident, one is almost apt to shudder 
at the danger of the incident and of the marvellous escape 
from a most violent death. In more recent years, the narra- 
tor, when thinking of saddleback riding, invariably picks out 
an animal dark in color, and keeps his eye and tightened rein 
at the sight of bounding, vicious brutes of dogs. 

We may add that between the districts of Jamaica Plain 
and Dorchester is Franklin Park, a fine tract of land of some 
seven hundred acres in extent. 

Lynn, Mass. 

Lynn is a busy, industrial, seaboard city, situated eleven 
miles northeast of Boston by the Eastern Railroad, bounded 
on the southeast by Massachusetts Bay and Nahant. It has 
a harbor opening towards the south, formed by Nahant on 
the east and Pines Point on the west, with water sufficient 
for sloop navigation. The principal rock is sienite, which in 
some localities has been profitably quarried, and excellent 
clay for the manufacture of bricks is found. From the ele- 
vations in the vicinity of the city a most enchanting prospect 
is presented, comprehending the harbor of Boston, Avith its 
hundred islands, the spires and domes of the city, with 
the heights of Norfolk in the background. A chain of 
beautiful sheets of water, called "The Lynn Lakes," extend 
along the northeastern section of the city, imparting life and 
variety to the landscape. Lynn has between thirty and forty 
farms and many well-cultivated gardens and fine orchards, 
which indicate careful management. Her population is 
about forty-two thousand, with a floating, transient number 
of extras of about eight thousand, — mostly young farmers 
and others who come to Lynn during winter to work at 
shoemaking, — that trade paying them bettor in the wintry 
season than tilling the earth. There are many fine streets 
and thoroughfares in the city, with some excellent public and 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 53 

private buildings, and also some large factories for the man- 
ufacture of ladies' boots and shoes, which useful articles seem 
to be the people's chief business. Steam and horse cars 
couve}" passengers from Boston, Chelsea, and many other 
places at frequent intervals, and in summer time, being 
adjacent to the " Point of Pines " and Nahant, the pleasure 
traffic must be very good. 

Lynn's Awful Fire, Nov. 26, 1889. 

Since writing the above account of Lynn's industrial city, 
we regret to add that a lamentable conflagration took place 
here, similar to the burnt district of Boston's great fire in 
1872. On Tuesday, Nov. 26, the "City of Shoes" was 
visited by the greatest fire in its history, and, with but two 
exceptions, the most disastrous which has ever visited New 
England, causing a loss estimated at five millions of dollars, 
loss falling heavily on English insurance offices. A square 
mile of business premises were destroyed, including several 
banks and churches, and nearly all the shoe factories, render- 
ing some hundreds of people homeless and destitute. Flames 
raged for hours, only stopped at the margin of the ocean. 
A hopeful feeling amongst the merchants prevails, that they 
will soon rally from their terrible catastrophe, and rebuild the 
city of brick and stone in lieu of so many wooden structures 
and fire-traps. 

On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1889, only two days 
after the great Lynn fire, and where the Boston firemen 
assisted so nobly, the city of Boston was visited also 
with a serious conflagration, similar to the one in 1872, and 
nearly in the same locality of Bedford and Chauncy Streets. 
About five millions of dollars succumbed to the flames, — 
chiefly insured in English companies. Unfortunately, sev- 
eral brave firemen were lost, in their heroic efforts of duty. 
Surrounding towns promptly responded to the call for help, — 
Providence being among the number. The writer of these 
pages was in Boston, Jan. 7, 1890, and inspected the ruins 
of this fire ; the debris was mostly cleared away, and the 
work of reconstruction commenced in this unlucky quarter of 
Boston's fine granite and brick buildings. The insurance 
report of Feb. 18, 1890, and adjusters' returns of the great 



54 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

Lynn fire, show that the total value of buildings destroyed 
was near five millions of dollars, and of the contents near 
four millions of dollars. 

Pirate's Dungeon Cave, near Lynn. 

About two miles from Lynn's city proper, and up a steep 
hill, is a large mass of rock, known far and wide as " The 
Pirate's Dungeon Cave." The writer and two friends, by 
paying the person in charge of the rocky estate twenty-five 
cents each, were permitted to enter the dark abyss, though" 
our guide speedily lighted lanterns affixed on the rocky, damp 
walls, and carrying one in his hand, he introduced us to the 
explorations ; and after the legend is given, the reader may 
form his own opinion of the veracity of the story. 

This is the " legend " which the narrator found in the little 
office near the cave, printed at the bottom of a large photo- 
graph of the rocky eminence : — 

"According to traditional accounts, there formerly existed 
a cave in this place, which was frequented by pirates. Since 
the great earthquake in 1658, which closed the original en- 
trance, no vestige of the cave is discernible, and at that time 
a pirate, known as Thomas Veal, was imprisoned alive ; hence 
the place is called ' Pirate's dungeon.' It is believed by 
many that treasures are secured here, and various attempts 
have been made to force an entrance to the cave. Some 
years ago renewed attempts were made to blow up the place, 
but succeeded only in displacing a mass of rocks. Subse- 
quently Jesse Hutchinson (one of the singing brothers), 
under the direction of a clairvoyant, tried to reach the cave, 
but he abandoned a labor so very expensive and laborious. 
Afterwards, Mr. Hiram Marble, under the guidance of clair- 
voyants and spiritual mediums, commenced the present ex- 
cavations (about eight years since Mr. Hutchinson's ven- 
ture) ; he has penetrated into the solid rock to the distance 
of more than one hundred feet, making a passageway eight 
feet in diameter ; he professed to be guided in his opera- 
tions by the spirits of the pirates who occupied the cave, 
communicating through spiritual mediums. Should he verify 
the predictions of the spirits in finding the cave and treas- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 55 

ures, it will certainly be an irresistible evidence of the truth 
of Spiritualism ; but should he fail so to do, it will prove the 
wonderful faith, patience, and perseverance on the part of 
the excavators." 

So much for the legend. But the writer was informed 
that it was as far back as 1851 when Mr. Hiram Marble, 
Sen., undertook this ardous work for years, failed in his 
purpose, after spending thousands of dollars, and died, per- 
haps, broken-hearted. His son took up where his father left 
off ; excavated at great expense some feet further in the 
rock, found no treasure, and died comparatively a young man. 
The rocky estate, we were informed, was mortgaged to its 
supposed full value. Like Captain Kidd, the once buccaneer 
of the seas, who was supposed to have buried his treasures 
in a little inlet near k ' Stony Creek," Conn., called " Pot 
Island," but it was supposition only, as may be the case 
of the dungeon pirates near Lynn ; and it seems sad and 
foolish to venture a fortune in huntiug after a myth, and 
ruin two worthy men in vain efforts to gain riches by digging 
and delving bare rocks. 

Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass. 

Cambridge, the seat of Harvard University, and the semi- 
capital of Middlesex County, is an opulent and elegant city, 
about three miles northwest of Boston. Aside from its 
celebrated University, Cambridge has many buildings and 
other objects of interest to the visitor ; on one side of the 
Common stands the famous " Washington Elm," under which 
it is said that the u Father of his Country " took command 
of the Continental army on the third day of July, 1775; 
and on Brattle Street is the fine old mansion where he held 
his headquarters, while at Cambridge, till late occupied by 
the lamented poet, Henry W. Longfellow. 

Cambridge University was founded in September, 1636. 
It is not only the oldest, but also the best endowed and 
most extensive institution of the kind in America. The 
college gi'ounds embrace an area of twenty-two acres of 
land, and are almost entirely covered with buildings pertaining 
to the University. In close proximity to each other stand 



56 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

the substantial structures used for dormitories, recitations, 
Museum, Library, Law School, public worship, Memorial 
Hall, dining-hall, Gymnasium, and other buildings, bearing 
the well-known names : Hoi worthy Hall, Stoughton Hall, 
Holden Chapel. Hollis Hall, Harvard Hall, Massachusetts 
Hall, Matthias Hall, and many others. 

This University is worthy of its name ; in addition to the 
usual collegiate course, provision is made not only for the 
study for what is called the learned professions, — divinity, 
law, and medicine, — but also for that of dentistry, mining, 
agriculture, and other arts and sciences. 

The Memorial Hall is a magnificent structure, with its fine, 
lofty proportions aud really elegant stained-glass windows, 
and its tesselated pavements, giving a very imposing effect 
as one enters from the approach entrance. Leading out or 
from the Memorial Hall is the dining-hall, a noble, spacious 
building, with the elegance, comfort, and convenience of a 
large, first-class hotel ; it accommodates as many as six hun- 
dred students ; by the number of chairs, no doubt all could 
be seated and served with their meals at one and the same 
time. Around the walls of this dining-hall are some very 
fine paintings, mostly portraits of eminent professors, 
teachers, and benefactors to the college ; also several fig- 
ures, sculptured in marble, of personages connected with the 
University. 

The Museum is perhaps the most interesting to the visitor. 
A number of rooms contain glass cases from ceiling to floor, 
filled with all kinds of Indian relics, pottery vessels of the 
antique, skulls, poisoned arrows, mummies, Indian bows, 
josses, etc. The polite curator kindly showed the writer 
around the collection, which must number man} r thousand 
specimens of rarities. The Indian relics of spear-heads aud 
other implements seemed to be very perfect, and each article 
is classified, with its record of history. 

The Gymnasium is the best, one would imagine, in the 
country ; a network of ropes extend from top and across the 
building, having the appearance of an old-fashioned " man- 
of-war," with its cordage and all kiuds of apparatus, of 
spring-boards, swinging trapeze, beds to fall on, etc. ; in 
fact, the athlete here can enjoy himself to his heart's con- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 57 

tent, and exercise the body, after the mind has sometimes 
been overtaxed. The population of Cambridge is over 
40,000 ; while the census returns of June, 1890, of Boston's 
population amount to 417,720, showing a gain in the Hub 
City of 55,000 souls since the census of 1880. 

Nantasket Beach — on Boston Bay. 

The above beach is a favorite resort of the Boston ians 
during the summer months. A pleasant ride of some eight- 
een miles brings the traveller to a very pretty seashore 
place, where a fine bathing-ground is at the service of the 
man}' thousands of persons who every season paj T tribute to 
" Father Neptune" by swimming and refreshing themselves 
by a salt-water bath. At each end of the beachy parade 
a magnificent hotel is situated, with first-class fare for the 
hungry or thirsty visitors ; an excellent band of music plays 
at intervals, afternoons and evenings ; dancing and fireworks 
at night add to the hilarity of the scene, and combine to 
make this, Boston's " Coney Island," a most cool sojourn 
from the heated city. One of the hotels, called Hotel 
Pemberton, has a finely arranged and well-appointed cafe or 
restaurant, where the colored waiters are in lull discipline, 
and obsequious to visitors, and a really excellent dinner 
is to be had here ; the bill of fare was so numerous in 
items of good things that a description would be tedious 
to the reader ; and if the solids were good and ample, the 
liquids were also, in all varieties of plain and fancy drinks, 
lemonade, apple toddy, punch, etc. A steam railway carries 
the passengers all around the beach (if they are too lazy 
to walk), making a very pleasant ride for those who wish 
to see all over the place. A few miles further inland is 
another attractive resoit, called " Downer's Landing," lo- 
cated by Nature in an inlet of the bay, where good clam 
dinners are served twice a day, intermingled with dancing in 
the afternoon and evening, to an excellent band of music, 
with numerous other attractions of boating, fishing, swing- 
ing, tight-rope feats, winding up with fireworks. Excur- 
sion steamers in the summer make frequent trips daily from 
Boston to this place. 



58 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



Early Settlement at Plymouth, Mass. 

The early history of British enterprise in America was 
from one's earliest recollection ever a subject fraught with 
the greatest interest to us, and it was in order to satisfy our 
thirst for information on this subject that we paid a visit to 
the ancient town of Plymouth, about thirty-seven miles south- 
east of Boston, remarkable in history as the landing-place, 
in 1620, of the Pilgrim Fathers, who emigrated in the good 
ship "Mayflower." The actual rock on which the adven- 
turers landed has had erected over it a massive granite 
canopy. This structure cost $32,000, beneath which lies 
the original rock, and also the portion which was formerly 
in the enclosure in front of Pilgrim Hall, but which was 
removed to its present position when the canopy was built, 
years ago. In a commanding position, on a hill in rear of 
the town, has also beeu erected, of later years, a magnifi- 
cent granite monument, " Faith," to the memory of the 
Pilgrims, which is of national fame, and is considered one 
of the finest granite structures in the world. In the ancient 
churchyard (or "Burial Hill," as it has long been called), 
the oldest tombstone therein of the adventurers is dated 
1683 (that of William Crowe), though tradition says some 
of the settlers were buried there as early as 1662. The 
Pilgrims had to be very particular, in burying their brethren, 
not to leave any records of the deceased, as the Indians 
were much exasperated at the great mortality among them, 
and obstinately held that the invaders had introduced a 
scourge to afflict the natives. This churchyard stands on a 
hill about one hundred feet above the level of the sea, and 
commands a noble prospect of the ocean and surrounding 
country. The Pilgrim Hall is a sort of antiquarian 
museum, comprising an interesting collection of papers and 
curiosities, presented to the town of Plymouth by the de- 
scendants of these early settlers. We noticed many curious 
articles brought over in the " Mayflower," such as a small 
cabinet of very peculiar workmanship, a part of a sea chest, 
a large, antique sofa, wearing apparel, two Bibles, a couple 
of old-fashioned wooden chairs (much disfigured by the 



RAMBLES "IN AMERICA. 59 

knives of antiquity-bunting visitors) , and otber items. We 
saw likewise an admirable painting, executed by W. S. Sar- 
gent, wbicb represents the brave little band of adventurers 
landing with their wives and children ; nor could one gaze 
without pity at the forlorn condition of the Pilgrims, step- 
ping on to the bleak shore, amid ice and snow, accompanied 
by their beloved partners, whose delicate forms, in many 
instances, sank beneath the severity of the trials to which 
they were exposed. The picture is of large dimensions, 
and we were especially struck by the commanding attitude 
of Samoset, the friendly Indian chi^f. Another curiosity 
that we inspected was a parchment deed, sent by the Pro- 
tector, Oliver Cromwell, to Gov. Wiuslow, dated 1G54, in- 
vesting the latter with power to act as arbitrator between 
the English nation and the States-general, with several other 
letters of an almost equally early date, that can be read with 
a little patience. Fronting the hall is an iron enclosure, on 
the railing of which are inscribed the names of those forty- 
eight illustrious fathers of the Anglo-American Republic, 
who, driven from their English homes by religious perse- 
cution, sallied forth across the ocean to plant the stand- 
ard of the cross in an almost unknown and savage land, 
thus inaugurating a new era in the history of the world. In 
truth, looking back through the annals of the last two cen- 
turies, one cannot contemplate without admiration the vast 
amount of agricultural enterprise and commercial greatness, 
that has been achieved in so short a time ; and could the Pil- 
grim Fathers rise from their graves to see the rich harvest 
that has since arisen from the humble seed sown by them- 
selves, they would be fairly astonished that the continent 
which in their time was tenanted only by the red Indian 
and the beasts of the forest, is now endowed with all the 
inestimable blessings of a free government, and offering 
every incentive of activity and enterprise, not only to her 
own sons, but to strangers from other lands. 

The Grand Army of Veterans in Boston, Aug. 12, 1890. 

The great National Encampment of the Grand Army of the 
Republic, held in Boston at the above date, was one to be 



60 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

long remembered. This reunion of veterans from all parts 
of the Union, to the number of forty thousand, marched 
through the principal thoroughfares of Boston's city, on 
the cloudy summer's day, amidst much enthusiasm by the 
myriads of people who welcomed them. The procession 
took five and a half hours to pass a given point, and it was 
computed there were one hundred and fifty thousand visitors 
in the city. Boston was one mass of decoration, of flags, 
banners, and bunting of all kinds, extending for miles. 
President Harrison and some members of his Cabinet, 
assisted by Gov. Brackett, of Massachusetts, Gen. Alger, 
Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army, Gen. Butler, and 
other officers reviewed the aged veterans as they marched 
past to the music of many scores of bands. On Aug. 14, 
1890, Col. Veasie, of Vermont, was unanimously elected 
Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army. The next En- 
campment was voted to be held in Detroit 

Provincetown, Cape Cod. 

On one of the hottest days of July, 1883, when the ther- 
mometer stood among the 9l)'s in the shade, a large party 
of excursionists embarked on board the palace steamer 
"Empire State," from Battery Wharf, Boston, en route 
across the bay to Provincetown. For this excursion, our 
course lies down the harbor, as far as " Nix's Mate," when 
we diverge, in order to pass Lovell's and Gallop's islands. 
We are now approaching George's Island, on which stands 
a noble fortress. Any hostile fleet entering the port must 
first force its way through the narrow channel, commanded 
by the heaviest ordnance in use. On our right is Pettick's 
Island, and then the high promontory of Hull, which is 
joined to the mainland by the magnificent Nantasket Beach, 
back of which rise several green eminences, as Strawberry 
Hill, Sagamore Hill, etc., crowned by hotels and cottages. 
Nantasket is connected with the mainland in the town of 
Cohasset. The extreme seaward point of Hull is a high 
headland of drift, called Point Allerton. It is the outer- 
most land of Boston Bay, which embraces between this land's 
end and Point Shirley ahout seventy-five square miles, and 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 61 

nearly one hundred islands and rocks having names. Near 
Fort Warren we left the Narrows or Bug Light. Then 
comes Boston Light, on a rock, connected at low tide with 
"Great Brewster." On the southernmost part of "Great 
Brewster" is Beacon Island. It was near here that the 
" Shannon" backed her topsails, and hoisted her challenge 
to the "Chesapeake," then lying in President's Road, to 
come and fight her. Capt. Lawrence, too chivalric a spirit 
to decline the invitation to combat, sailed, with a drunken 
and mutinous crew, to defeat and death, bequeathing in his 
last moments that memorable watchword to his gallant tars 
(those who remained true to him), " Don't give up the ship ! " 

Having steamed out through lighthouse channel, past 
Point Allerton, the open sea is before us, and on this 
intensely hot day, when several deaths from sun-stroke in 
Boston occurred, the delightful breeze off the broad bosom 
of the Atlantic Ocean was most refreshing to the jaded 
people from the heated city, and appreciated accordingly. 
The steamer now heads southeast, coasting the shores of 
the historic Old Colony. Numerous rocky ledges and light- 
houses meet us on our way, as we approach Provincetown, 
and the large party of vo} - agers are on the alert to catch a 
glimpse of the picturesque old town. The kk Empire State" 
steamed gayly up to the commodious landing pifir, with her 
flags waving, and the magnificent band of twenty-four pieces 
discoursing martial music, much to the delight of the natives 
assembled on the wharf. Apropos of the music, a fine pro- 
gramme of excellent instrumental and soloist performances 
were given on board, enhanced by quite a young and charm- 
ing lady singer, named Miss Bessy. Much disappointment 
was evinced by the great bulk of the passengers, who were 
not allowed to land, except those who wished to remain over 
in Provincetown. The writer of these sketches was one of 
the stop-overs, and intended to explore Cape Cod on terra 
Jirma. He nimbly leaped ashore as soon as possible, and 
went along the immense pier, with the burning sun pouring 
its scorching rays on our devoted head, till we were safely 
shaded in one of the pleasant, quaint, cosy hotels which 
Provincetown is so famed for. 

In the mean while the band struck up the tune of the 



62 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

" Girl I left behind me," causing some of the ladies on the 
pier to smile and blush, then the huge craft with its two 
funnels slowly swung around, straining at its ponderous 
hawser, and turning her bow homeward, for the sixty miles 
of ocean travel back to Boston. 

Cape Cod Harbor is a world-renowned haven of refuge 
for the storm- tossed mariner. Provincetown lies on the 
slopes and along the foot of the range of highland hills 
before us, on the highest of which the old Town Hall for- 
merly stood conspicuous, till burned, some years ago. A 
new Town Hall has been erected among the residences near 
the foot of the hill. A tablet is placed in the walls, com- 
memorating the first landing of Pilgrims on American soil. 
The harbor is shallow, but is often crowded with shipping, 
waiting for a favorable wind to get around the Cape. The 
view from Town Hill is splendid ; the broad, majestic ocean 
and Massachusetts Bay are visible from its summit. At 
sunset the sight is very beautiful, and at night the scene is 
one of grandeur. Overlooking the bay, with its numerous 
lighthouses, and the calm sea, the stillness around causes 
one to thank his fortune that he is far removed from the 
large city's busy turmoil. 

On descending the hill-side to the Pilgrim House, a quaint 
old hostel, with a kind old landlord, we find that good 
quarters are here, with nice, comfortable bedrooms and a 
very generous table, fish at almost every meal, if the visitor 
so wishes, freshly caught from the bay, and cooked as only 
shore cooks can cook them. All kinds of travellers are 
around here : the fat, burly, saucy drummer from Boston or 
elsewhere, who imagines that Provincetown, or, in fact, every 
town was made specially for him or his tribe ; his ideas are 
so very large, and his noisy voice is heard everywhere, inside 
and outside of the hotel, the conversation constantly of self, 
being uppermost. The old, stale anecdotes of experiences, on 
the road and off of it, jar on the ears of the listeners, by being 
retold with all the impudence and effrontery appertaining to 
his class. Then again, we had another drummer boarder 
here, " a gentleman corn doctor " whom we found assorting 
from his satchel some of the wonderful square-shaped com- 
pounds of his vaunted remedy for the cure of all kinds of 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 63 

corns, warts, and bunions. Unlike the fat drummer, the 
corn doctor was lean and genteel-looking, wearing eve- 
glasses, and with plenty to say for himself, in the recom- 
mendation of the mysterious corn salve. This gentleman 
had travelled the country over, according to his own glib 
statement, as an itinerant vender of the healing plasters. 
He told us, his plan of operations used to be, on opening 
his stock in trade at a convenient street corner of a town of 
an evening, he would commence the preliminaries of business 
by singing a song to the accompaniment of an accordion, at 
which he-was an adept. "But now," the "doctor" said, 
"I do trade different from that, by calling on most of the 
well-to-do residents of a town, and in a respectful and 
respectable manner solicit orders for the wonderful corn 
cure " ; and he informed us that at times he made a good 
deal of money. The fat drummer insinuated that the salve 
only burned the sufferer's toes, which caused a belief in the 
minds of the patients of a riddance of the excrescence. 
The doctor merely laughed, and said, " No such thing; it 
cures in time, if they will only take enough of it." The 
quack doctor's experiences of years ago were very humor- 
some. One day, after selling all his stock at a country 
town, a farmer offered to carry him and a party of young 
men and girls around the district, in a village tip-cart, if the 
vender would play his accordion the while ; accordingly, off 
they started, the musical instrument in full force, and the 
company singing to the strength of their lungs ; when, lo and 
behold, some rustic wag had slily removed the pin which 
held the body of the tip-cart together, and in the jolting of 
the rude vehicle, it fell over backwards, corn doctor, accor- 
dion, and all the company falling pell-mell together on the 
roadway. 

The town is built upon a narrow strip of level land, lying 
between a range of high sand-hills and the shoi'e. The 
principal street is a narrow thoroughfare, between two and 
three miles long, skirting the shore, with a raised plank side- 
walk running the whole distance, and a smooth, tolerably 
firm roadway, made of shells and loam. Upon one side are 
the dwellings, facing the harbor ; upon the other are the 
stores, which we noticed kept open till past nine o'clock for 



64 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

the transaction of business. There is one other street run- 
ning parallel to this, a hundred feet or so back, and immedi- 
ately in the rear of the houses, fronting upon which are the 
sand-hills. The town was originally built upon the loose 
sand, in which vegetation would not grow r , but soil was 
brought from other parts and mixed with it, and now tall 
willow, cottonwood, and maple trees and vegetable gardens 
thrive very fairly in this somewhat artificial mother-earth. 
The village is built mainly upon one street, which commences 
some three miles from Race Point, the termination of Cape 
Cod, and follows for several miles the curving lines of the 
harbor. The township consists mainly of loose, w T hite sand, 
which the wind has driven into fantastic knolls, and which 
are subject to incessant changes. There is not a single 
farm in the whole township ; the streets and, in fact, all this 
part of the Cape, are one mass of loose, white sand, and the 
visitors, on taking their walk around, in a few moments 
generally get covered with dust and sand. To obviate this 
little discomfort, brushes are kept handy at the hotels for 
the use of the tourists ; though one may brush fifty times a 
day, the clinging, sticky, sandy particles still adhere to the 
boots and clothing of the pedestrians, so that rough, blue 
sailor suits are much in vogue here as elsewhere on the Cape. 
It is a well-known historical fact that the "Mayflower" 
first entered Frovincetown harbor, and there the first child 
(Peregrine White) was born. The vessel remained at an- 
chor there, while a portion of the crew and passengers made 
explorations in a shallop, looking for a suitable place for a 
permanent residence. It was this party in the shallop who 
made the famous "landing" at Plymouth. The associa- 
tions of the brave little band of men and women who landed 
here are full of interest, when we remember their trials and 
sufferings from the time the ship " Mayflower " first anchored 
at Cape Cod until the following spring found them emerging 
from the dark valley of the shadow of death, with only half 
their original number ; so that every foot of the ground is 
historic and dear to Americans. 

Aside from its importance as a harbor of refuge, Province- 
town owes its rise, in some measure, to the George's fishery, 
for which it is admirably adapted and situated, giving employ- 






RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 65 

nient to a large number of men. The population consists of 
almost every nationality, and numbers some six thousand 
inhabitants ; the Portuguese appear to be the predominating 
race. Some of the streets are named after the brave 
pioneers of years ago, Standish, Bradford, and Wiuslow 
being easily recognized. The town, having few trees and 
no gardens to speak of, has a curious effect on the beholder, 
who walks around in a dazed, bewildered way ot the strange 
appearance of everything he sees. It realizes the idea of a 
desert more vividly than any other spot of ground in New 
England. Great trade is done here in the mackerel fishery. 
We saw thousands of barrels of these and other fish packed 
in the sheds at the pier head, awaiting shipment to the big 
markets. The freight-car tracks are laid all along the fine, 
long steamboat pier, and the promenade is quite an enjoy- 
able breezy walk of an evening. The codfish, once so abun- 
dant here, has now to be sought on George's or Grand 
Banks ; and the whale, oncet aken so close to the shore, is 
seldom seen in these waters, though occasionally a capture 
is made, two whales having been seen lately and shot by a 
sea captain ; one leviathan being lost, the other towed ashore. 
The reason for the whales being sometimes found in close 
proximity to the coast is, the small fishes they feed on are 
located hereabouts in great quantities. 

Hyannis. 

The journey from one end of the Cape to the other is full 
of interest. After a very early breakfast at the Hotel 
Pilgrim, we started from the Province town depot at a quarter 
past five o'clock in the morning, there being but two through 
trains daily : early morn and mid-day. It was very refresh- 
ing, as we breathed the delicious, cool morning air, blowing 
breezy and fresh from the bay. and the few friends who had 
got out early enough to see their relatives off tearfully bid 
their adieus to the departing train that carried their kinsfolks 
away from kind, quaint old Provincetown, en route to Hyannis. 

Rapidly we passed through scenery so strange looking and 
so sandy in appearance, and by villages and dwellings so 
peculiarly antique in. shape and in weather-beaten colors as 



66 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

to give one the impression of a migration to some foreign 
shore, though the ride was far from being tiresome or weari- 
some. High hills of sand, gray, sombre, and desolate, 
covered in some places with a stunted growth of pines or tall 
beach grass, and in others entirely bare, stretch away on 
either hand, with now and then a far-off glimpse of the 
ocean or bay through some sandy ravine These are suc- 
ceeded by stretches of attempts in cultivated land, showing 
evidences of toiling tillage, and these in turn by vast, level 
plains of sand, destitute of vegetation, or by low marshes, 
caused by some dyke or embankment that has cut off the 
ebb and flow of the tide. The road winds in and out among 
these hills and marshes, with many curves between the ter- 
mini, — almost a complete circle. On the way we espied 
many thriving and pretty villages, and at the various stop- 
ping places at the way-stations numerous were the passengers 
taken in and set down in these quaint hamlets, appearing to 
the traveller as if most of the " Cape Cod folks " were bent 
on making the best of their holiday vacation in this glorious, 
sunny, July month. 

After a run of about two hours, Yarmouth is reached, — 
a pretty little hamlet, noted for its yearly religious camping 
attractions early in August. A junction is here for passen- 
gers to take diverging roads ; some keeping the main-line route, 
which carries them to Boston and Fairhaven ; and others, the 
writer included, take the short branch line to the pretty 
district of Hyannis. A pleasant ride of some four miles, 
mostly through groves and camping grounds, briugs us to 
our destination. Stages and carriages meet every incoming 
train to carry the wayfarers who wish to see the " Port," as 
it is termed ; a nice ride of some five miles to the shore, where 
the elite of the summer visitors congregate, and where there 
is a commodious hotel and some good cottages on the bluffs, a 
miniature Cottage City. Strolling to the end of the pier, one 
finds sail-boats and row-boats at hand for fishing or pleasure- 
sailing ; the invigorating and healthy sea breeze is very notice- 
able on the tanned cheeks of the sojourners staying here. 

On taking a sail across the bay, we had a fine view of 
some pretty little islands and a sturdy-looking breakwater, 
which seemed to defy the action of the waves against its 



E AMBLES IN AMEEICA. 67 

solid masonry. Like Nantucket in a less degree, the salubri- 
ousuess of the sea air is very observable here, and it is 
accounted a very healthy place for the invalid, or those 
overworked city men and their wives and families who re- 
quire rest and change of air and scene. It was somewhat 
alarmingly noticeable with what freedom quite young boys 
and girls went out in row-boats and sailing craft, unattended 
by competent sailing-masters, the rough, throbbing, turbulent 
sea causing one to think of some likely danger of a sudden 
squall to these young novices, in the upsetting of their frail 
little barks. We watched with surprise these adventurous 
young mariners, going right out into the bay ; and surmising 
their parents and guardians must have been a queer, care- 
less set, to have allowed such peril to those most dear to 
them. 

Hyannis is made up of very genteel residences, with good- 
sized gardens, in a fair way of cultivation ; a large hotel is 
located here, and several livery stables for carriage letting ; 
the whole surroundings of this charming vicinity are very 
agreeable to the beholder, particularly at the first time of 
seeing the place, and leave quite a favorable impression of 
its many pleasant walks and drives. As in most town- 
ships along the Gape, innumerable fine views are to be seen 
of Father Ocean in all its purity and grandeur. Returning 
back to Yarmouth Junction, we once more'took cars on the 
main line en route to Sandwich, a distance of some twenty 
miles. 

Sandwich. 

Some friends of the writer were in waiting at the Sand- 
wich (proper) depot to receive him ; there are three Sand- 
wiches named on the railway time schedule, but two out of 
them seem to be way-stations. The chief business and main 
stay of the town formerly was the Boston and Sandwich 
Glass Company, since closed (another glass corporation was 
in formation) , and the Tack Works ; in fact, very little life 
would be observable in this somewhat stagnant township, 
without the aid of the factor} 7 operatives. 

The principal topic of conversation of all the towns-people 



68 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

in the summer of 1883 was the projected scheme of canal- 
cutting through the outlying lowlands and marshes of Sand- 
wich, from Buzzard's Bay to Massachusetts Bay ; a connect- 
ing link of, we believe,- seven miles of arduous deep delving 
and cutting ; but the benefits arising therefrom will be of in- 
calculable value, and thus saving some hundred miles of tedious 
navigation on this coast of storms ; and if the expensive 
project is carried out as proposed, land around and about 
Sandwich will rise greatly in value, by the great undertaking 
of the Cape Cod Canal, not only just here, but all along the 
Cape ; real estate will become more valuable by the impetus 
given to the shipping interest and all connected therewith. 

Cape Cod Canal. 

Jan. 1, 1885. Iu a notice of one of the reports, Mr. 
Fessenden, treasurer of the Cape Cod Canal Company, 
estimates the cost of cutting the canal at $7,500,000, and 
that it will take three years to complete the work. The ma- 
chine now working, removes three hundred square feet of earth 
per day, to a depth that will float a contemplated machine to 
follow after the first, digging it much deeper. It is estimated 
the annual saving on transportation of coal to Boston by 
this route over the old will go far toward paying good divi- 
dends on the cost. It is understood that Congress will be 
applied to, for an appropriation to aid in finishing the work. 
The present population is about two thousand five hundred 
inhabitants. 

Sandwich, considering its sandy soil, has some nice large 
yards and gardens attached to the better class of residences, 
and also some pleasant cultivated lots, in rear of the artisans' 
dwellings, few of whom, instead of drinking their hard-earned 
wages away, have saved money enough to purchase little 
homesteads of their own, and can hold their heads up with 
dignity, as being owners of some real estate ; instead of 
having the mien and downcast, poverty-stricken look of the 
miserable drinkiug-man, who fritters away substnnce and 
health, also ruining the happiness and future prospects of 
his wife and family, and all those connected with him. A 
friend of mine has purchased, out of his savings, a small 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 69 

homestead, and added to it a chicken farm ; he and his wife 
are proud of their little property, and their success in the 
venture of poultry raising has endeared them to the place, 
and built up quite a business in the sale of eggs and plump 
chickens. While staying in Sandwich, from Saturday till 
Monday, one of those sudden changes in the barometer oc- 
curred, so peculiar to New England ; the thermometer fell 
thirty degrees in the night of Saturday and Sunday morning. 
From the stifling, choking heat of a few hours before, the 
Sabbath morn ushered in one of the coldest snaps on record 
for July ; and by the newspaper accounts, this Sunday cold 
wave partly ruined the Nantasket and other hotel keepers of 
popular shore places, as the owners had provided largely for 
a big hot Sunday and Monday ; the result being, tons of pro- 
visions had to be thrown away. As the wind was almost 
blowing a gale, interspersed with fitful rain-squalls, we ven- 
tured to the beach to see the surf in its grandeur, and 
witnessed a somewhat sad sight of the ravages of the sea. 
A few hundred yards from the shore was a poor man's sail- 
boat, rolling in the heavy sfirf , fast becoming a total wreck. 
The change in the night's temperature had caused the sea to 
do its work of fury on the little craft, and as the timbers of 
the vessel parted, and were washed ashore, piecemeal, the 
owner of the unfortunate craft sorrowfully picked them up, 
and then laid the pieces out of reach of the boiling, seething 
surf ; but the loss of his property was too much for him, and 
the sympathy of the little knot of lookers on nearly over- 
powered him ; he wandered away from the sight and sound of 
the angry element that had devoured up his little all. One 
amusing incident out of the misery was that of a good- 
natured Irishman, — a sort of nondescript fisherman, who 
generously endeavored to save the boat, or part of it. 
Stripping his clothes off, and in the cold, piercing, bleak 
wind, brave Pat, alone and unaided, dashed into the boiling 
surf, knife in hand, to cut the cordage and drift the wreck 
on shore, where plenty of willing idlers would have assisted 
him, but the brave-hearted son of Erin's efforts were useless. 
The hull, or what remained of it, was too firmly embedded 
in the sand to move for one man's strength. Returning 
from the almost icy water, and his body blue with cold, our 



70 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

Irish friend, with all the sang-froid imaginable, redressed, 
singing and smiling as he put on his garments, just as if it 
was a warm bath he had emerged from, instead of a very 
cold one. 

There are many lakes and ponds around Sandwich, and 
my friends told me in one of these waters some tame fish 
are located. The finny tribe come to a lachy's call, and 
receive their daily allowance of food from her fair hands. 
The lady's resideuce is in close proximity to the lake, and 
the towns-people often see her feeding her pets. 

Buzzard's Bay. 

Still on the Cape, we dashed onward from Sandwich to 
Buzzard's Bay, a busy railway junction of the Old Colony 
Company. Trains from Boston, Fairhaven, and other places 
are continually going and coming here, particularly in the 
summer season, when the city relative visits the country 
cousin for a week or two's fishing. 

In staying over here an hour, for a change of cars for Fal- 
mouth, what one could see of the place appeared as if the 
station was settled in the middle of a field, near the inlet of 
a pretty little bay, emerging from the ocean. Some few 
genteel residences are seen here, situated in the midst of 
cultivated gardens, laid out with much taste and great ex- 
pense ; no doubt a more extended view would lead to many 
natural beauties of brake and glen, babbling brooks and flow- 
ing cascades, emanating and branching out of the ever 
coming and going tide of the Great Lake. 

Falmouth. 

Leaving Buzzard's Bay, and its many trains of incoming 
and outgoing passengers, some seeking for health, and 
returning with bronzed faces and bright eyes, we turn to- 
wards Falmouth, passing on our transit many very pretty 
seashore resorts, such as Monument, Pocasset, and some 
others, all coming quietly into notice every year. Young 
collegians, home for their vacations, accompanied by sisters, 
cousins, and aunts, assemble here, and enjoy their freedom 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 71 

from study ; drinking in fresh stocks of health and vigor with 
every breath they draw of the pure and unadulterated salt air 
of breezy oeeau, close by. Arriving at Falmouth station, we 
were speedily ensconced in a carriage and driven to the 
" Hotel Falmouth." This commodious and large hotel de- 
serves a word of commendation ; the obliging proprietor, Col. 
Dimick, and his office clerks, are very pleasant folks, and all 
the arrangements here are very good ; excellent bill of fare 
and well-furnished bedrooms, and the hotel is situated quite 
central, and near the water for fishing, boating, bathing, etc. 
On the following morning of our arrival we inspected the 
" Heights," another edition of Martha's Vineyard, of the Bluffs 
district. About sixty cottages dot its surface around Fal- 
mouth, and the view from their windows must be very 
charming ; a large, well-appointed hotel is one of the promi- 
nent buildings of the " Heights." A kindly old gentleman, 
a cottage owner from Worcester, Mass., took the writer in 
hand, and generously showed him through, explaining every- 
thing worth knowing ; how the circle of cottage life is man- 
aged. Two strong, able men have charge of all the cottages 
during the winter season, at three dollars per year each 
dwelling ; their duties being to look after the houses in cold 
season, cleaning away snow-drifts, and air the buildings oc- 
casionally ; the same men cut the grass in summer, and fetch 
and carry pails of water at two cents per pail (this being 
extra), and attend to the sanitary arrangements at nightfall, 
by burying the soil from the cottages, there being no cesspools 
on the place. The view from Falmouth Heights, overlooking 
the Bay and Vineyard Sound, is extremely beautiful, and 
it was no surprise to find my kind guide so pleased and 
contented with his cottage location, far away from the 
heated city of Worcester. Fishing and boating parties 
are every day made up from the hotels and residences, 
when the weather and wind is considered suitable for the 
outing. Bathing is much in vogue here, and the young 
people (and old ones, too) paddle and swim in the briny, 
with all the zest of pent-up city folks, and to their hearts' 
delight enjoy the delicious freedom of a vacation holiday. 
A few days after we left Falmouth, a serious accident oc- 
curred somewhere near the Heights ; a four-in-hand ' ' Tally 



72 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

ho" coach, on ascending the eminence, packed with a merry 
party of gentlemen, was suddenly overturned by the horses 
becoming unmanageable ; amongst the most injured, Col. 
Dirnick was mentioned as one of the number ; we trust, how- 
ever, that he and the other unfortunate gentlemen have long 
ago recovered from their tumble and shock down the bluffs. 

A short ride of about four miles brings us to Woods Holl. 
where we take the New Bedford steamer for home. 

Onset Bay. 

One of the pleasantest and prettiest sails out of New 
Bedford is the trip to Onset Bay. The journey is quite a 
smooth river ride, and the varied scenery along the Cape 
shore makes it a very enlivening excursion. As the traveller 
nears Onset Ba}", a little cluster of islands dot its entrance, 
with fresh verdure and foliage charming to behold ; the 
shallow water at low tide oftentimes causes some delay and 
inconvenience to passengers and to the steamer's landing 
at the wharf, though through the skilful pilot's good steer- 
ing and knowledge of the shoals — which here abound — 
an effective disembarkation generally takes place. Onset 
Bay, of a Sunday in the camping season, is quite a lively 
affair, and will bear good comparison with the camping at 
Martha's Vineyard. In the summers of 1882 and 1883, on 
some Sabbath days fully six thousand persons were present, 
the visitors coming by boat, rail, and teams, from all parts, 
the majority of the company being Spiritualists, who congre- 
gate here for a few weeks' vacation and spiritual intercourse 
with evident enjoyment. A very fine band from Middleboro 
discoursed some excellent music, followed by singing of the 
society's choir. The speakers on the theme of Spiritualism 
were invariably ladies and gentlemen of eloquence and ability, 
and were listened to by the large audience in the grove with 
much attention. A commodious hotel restaurant has just 
been built, where visitors can get a decent dinner, and a 
little further in the bay, across a small inlet, navigable by 
boats, is a clam-bake dinner, every Sunday while the Spirit- 
ualists are in session, and which repast in its rough way is 
very excellent, and seemed to be well patronized. Onset 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 73 

Bay is a very growing place ; the land is being bought up in 
lots, and will no doubt give a good return to the cottage 
builders and investors. Some avenues and roads have been 
constructed, and great progress every year is being made, and 
a marked improvement enacted in its surroundings. To a 
lover of retirement (on week-days) this charming bay could 
be strongly recommended. There are good sailing and fish- 
ing in the bay, pleasant reunions on land, with the sociable 
friends along its hospitable shore. The forest fires along 
Cape Cod, particularly in and about Sandwich, were veiy de- 
structive the summer of 18H2, and every night during August 
the fires illuminated the horizon on the Cape shore, and the 
sight at times was exceedingly grand and imposing. Occa- 
sionally the flames could be seen as they wrapped the tallest 
pines ; and the swiftness with which they were consumed 
gave some idea of the hurrying march of the fiery element. 
The largest fires were in West Sandwich, another place 
called Spring Hill, where the flames were at least one mile 
wide, and burning fiercely, traversing good woodland. The 
wind was so strong, one day, that the conflagration leaped 
across one of the widest thoroughfares in Sandwich It was 
understood that when the fire was at its height, the men had 
withdrawn all efforts of stopping the flames, their attempts 
being useless. 

President Cleveland's "Wife. — Marion, Mass. 

About fifteen miles from New Bedford, Mass., is a pleas- 
ant little township on the Cape, called Marion, — a noted 
place for summer visitors to pass a few weeks of the hot 
season in, partly on account of the advantages of the pretty, 
natural inlet of the waters of Buzzard's Bay, and for yacht- 
ing, fishing, and bathing purposes. Mrs. Grover Cleveland 
paid this quaint little hamlet a visit of some five weeks' dura- 
tion in August and September, 1887, and caused by her pres- 
ence to popularize Marion from its natural seclusion of a quiet 
watering resort to a well-known town, far and wide. The 
writer, having an invitation from a gentleman friend at Marion 
for a day's sail in his yacht, welcomed the invite, inasmuch as 
the narrator wished to see the lady of the White House in 



74 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

her pastoral garb of unassuming mien. To see Mrs. Cleve- 
land on the lawn of Gen. Greely's house, watching her host's 
children sportively playing, she seemed as if eager to join in 
the youngsters' sports, and to shake off, for the time, at 
least, the stately dignity of receiving foreign diplomats at 
Washington and other receptions of her own people. The 
president's wife entered her carriage, accompanied by other 
ladies, and escorted by Gen. Greely, bent on a mission to a 
garden party in Marion. Nothing could exceed the grace- 
ful bow and smile with which Mrs. Cleveland greeted the 
obeisance of the scribe, as he stood uncovered while the 
equipage passed him on the country road. The first lady iu 
the land of America, as she is termed, appeared very young- 
looking, of the medium height, dressed quietly in black silk 
attire, and with a very pleasant, charming, expressive coun- 
tenance, and it is no great surprise that this apparently 
amiable lady has won the hearts of Marion folks by her 
simple, unaffected manner, and raised the once quiet town 
into a well-known summer resort for Americans and others. 

Taunton, Mass., Revisited. 

After an absence of many years, in revisiting a locality one 
naturally expects to find many alterations. This was no1 
the case here, for most of the old landmarks around about 
the Four Corners had remained, with a few more newbj 
erected dwellings of the villa and cottage size, the most visi- 
ble difference being the extension of Messrs. Reed & Barton's 
works, the celebrated silver ware manufacturers, whose some^ 
what small business premises of twenty years ago are no\^ 
replaced by a square of blocks of brick-built workshops ol 
the most commodious kind. Some of the old hands were 
found still working for this excellent firm in the same routine 
way as when the writer first visited Taunton, nearly a quar- 
ter of a century ago. Another long range of buildings, called 
the Whittenton Mills, for making cotton cloth, employing 
some hundreds of men and women in their extensive work- 
rooms, also made an impression on the traveller of manj 
lands, who beheld the comfortable-looking mills and the 
employees' dwelling-houses for the first time. Around and 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 75 

about the " Green," iu the centre of the city, there has neces- 
sarily been many changes, improvements, and alterations, 
such as new buildings and stores, a theatre, and a very 
handsome water fountain adorns the green " sward opposite 
the City Hotel, and several new churches have been erected 
within a few years, including a Catholic granite edifice. A 
line of horse-cars from the Weir to the Whittenton is one 
of the conveniences which assist to complete the transforma- 
tion scene now being enacted of life's changes in the forward 
march of this age of progress. 

Quite a pleasant place is the " Green," particularly on 
busy da,ys and Saturday morning's auction sales near the 
■enclosure, where the farmers buy and sell all sorts of agri- 
cultural implements, and try to trade off horses and cows, 
pigs and chickens ; but the great event of the week is Satur- 
day evenings, when the store-keepers dress their windows 
to meet the eye of the numerous strollers from all parts of 
Taunton and the suburbs ; the industrious workers from the 
adjacent mills and various factories find a rest and relief by 
a visit to the cheerful " Green," where animation reigns su- 
preme, and where the promenade (amidst the well-lighted 
stores) of young men and maidens passing to and fro causes 
much amusement of recognition. Within a short time a new 
depot has been erected at Whittenton bj r the Old Colony 
Railway Company, and an enlargement of the main depot 
(Wales Street) has been effected, on account of the increas- 
ing traffic through to Boston, Providence, and elsewhere. 
Near this railroad station are the very extensive works of 
Messrs. Mason & Co., who are known over the wide world 
•for the manufacture of their celebrated locomotives. In 
April, 1883, Ex-President Diaz of Mexico and suite in- 
spected these works, while on a visit to the United States, 
and were much pleased at what they saw in the various pro- 
cesses of machine working power. The illustrious guests 
■also visited Messrs. Reed & Barton's silver-ware establish- 
ment, and though this manufactory is of a totally different 
nature from locomotive construction, yet the Ex-President 
party were quite interested in the unique designs of the or- 
namental articles submitted to their notice. The Episcopal 
Church, Saint Thomas's, is a verv nice edifice ; the archi- 



76 KAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

tectnral arrangement of the interior is of good church build- 
ing, and in character with the sacredness of the structure. 
More up town, near the Four Corners, on Bay Street, is a 
somewhat plain little church. Saint John's, Episcopal. The 
writer, on a recent visit to Taunton, was much pleased and 
impressed with the discourse of the resident officiating 
clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Mansfield (since resigned), a gen- 
tleman well qualified for his vocation in his endeavor to save 
souls ; the earnestness and forcible speaking of the minister 
were irresistible to the listener, and the sacred edifice deserved 
to have had a more numerous congregation to hear so able a 
preacher of the Lord's Holy Word. Both St. Thomas's and 
St. John's churches some time since had a bequest of five 
thousand dollars each, kindly bequeathed to them by the late 
Mr. Crocker, of Taunton. 

Perch Fishing, near Taunton. 

Many enjoyable rides and drives on the outskirts of the 
city are to be had, and nothing can be more pleasant of a 
breezy spring morning than to take a dash along the country- 
side as far as Lakeville and surrounding places, where there 
are some good cultivated farms, with their busy life of hus- 
bandry, in the midst of refreshing sights, sounds, and per- 
fumes of Nature's sweet fragrance ; a good antidote to a 
worn, weary business man, just released from artificial city 
life. In fact, the neighborhood of Taunton comprises some 
of the most beautiful cultivated lake scenery in Massachu- 
setts ; and there are several streams, abounding with trout, 
perch, and others of the finny tribe, which often induce the 
formation of picnic parties among ladies and gentlemen, for 
the purpose of angling for golden perch, a species of tish 
very common in the American lakes and rivers, and ex- 
tremely beautiful from the golden splendor of their bright 
and shining scales. The narrator was invited to a party of 
this description, and the place of our destination was a 
stream running through a romantic glen some miles from 
town. The ladies of our party were, after some little hesi- 
tation, prevailed upon to wield their fishing-poles, and decoy 
some of the wary perches from their watery haunts, vividly 
reminding one of those lines of Izaak Walton : — 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 77 

" The ladies angling in the crystal lake 
Feast on the waters with the prey they take ; 
At once victorious with their lines and eyes, 
They make the fishes and the men their prize." 

And surely some of my male acquaintances must have been 
somewhat smitten with the fair anglers' charms, for while the 
former unhooked the captive fish and furnished fresh bait, 
they, with true American flattery, stated it as their strong 
conviction, that the finny victims of these piscatorial charms 
must have felt more pleasure than pain at being ensnared by 
such fascinating auglers. We would fancy the poor fish, if 
they thought at all, came to a very different conclusion. 
When the day's sport was over, our party returned home, 
delighted with their trip, and laden with piscatorial spoils, 
which were afterwards cooked and laid before us, and duly 
discussed with other delicacies at the supper given by our 
kind entertainer. The company assembled on that evening 
was composed partly of English and American friends, the 
reunion being perfectly in harmony of sentiment, with a 
strong disposition on the part of all present to contribute to 
the cheerfulness and merriment of tlie gathering. A long 
vista of years has passed since this episode just described, 
and many of the gleeful company have gone to their long 
rest ; yet the pleasing remembrance of old friends is ever 
fresh and green in the mind of the narrator, as a cheerful 
item of past memories. 

Squabetty, and its Myriads of Fish. 

As historian of the present as well as the past of 
this great continent, kindly accompany the biographer in 
his rovings to another fishing excursion of quite recent date 
{May, 1890), and of a totally different character in the 
habits and mode of catching fish. Before describing the 
herring fishery, permit the writer and the young friend 
who accompanied him to say a few words of the road on 
which we passed. A very pleasant carriage drive of some 
five miles from Taunton Centre brings the tourist to a vil- 
lage called Squabetty (once a thriving iron-works), in the 
East Taunton district. On the road thither, either walking 



78 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

or riding, particularly along Dean Street, it is simply delight- 
ful to watch the pretty flowing river, with its well-cultivated 
grassy banks aud gardens on either side ; and the old homes 
of the Dean family are here marked out, with reminiscences of 
the early transfer of the surrounding lands. A new, sub- 
stantial bridge at this point crosses the Taunton River to- 
wards a fine modern-built water-works, a visit to which is of 
very interesting character. Farther along to a junction of 
roads we come to a large peach orchard, of very superior 
kind, and the early bloom of pink blossoms gave a beautify- 
ing aspect to the well-kept grounds. On descending the bill- 
side to the valley approaching Squabetty village is a magnif- 
icent avenue of elm-trees, bending over and clinging in their 
umbrageous embrace, as it were, which must be, when in full 
verdure of leafy foliage, a shady retreat of great enjoyment. 

About the middle of April is the usual swarming time 
for the herrings to leave their sea haunts for the spawning 
grounds on the Taunton Kiver, in the neighborhood of Mid- 
dleboro, and that place is the chief station for seining or 
netting what fish are wanted ; two other fishing-pounds are at 
Dighton and Somerset. A small dam, or miniature water- 
fall, is just by the bridge at Squabetty, and in their frantic 
endeavors to reach the smooth waters of the Taunton River, 
the unfortunate herrings have an insurmountable obstacle — 
that of the turbulent weir — to pass ; thousands, tens of thou- 
sands, perhaps millions of these sturdy, plucky fish attempt 
to swim against the avalanche, to get over to the glassy 
stream beyond ; a few pass over, but the majority are thrown 
back by the dam's current, some injured fatally, while others 
are thrown bodily on to the shore. In their eagerness to get 
through, their shining, scaly bodies are oftentimes hurled 
from five to seven feet high, falling back in the rapid cur- 
rent, or cast on to the banks. With amazement the visitor 
beholds this humble and sometimes despised fish show such 
strength and indomitable will to pass the rapids to its prop- 
agating home, and in the bright sunlight, the coruscation of 
the flying myriads of fish almost dazzles the on-lookers by 
this curious phenomenon of natural wonder. 

To assist the herring tribe, the renters of the waters have 
invented what is called " The Boxes" ; a sort of plank divis- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. - 



79 



ion, of strong woodwork, is built and fixed securely in a 
kind of canal rapid, the other side of the waterfall, thus 
forming a breakwater in sections, and the velocity of the 
rushing stream hurls the fish into these safety boxes, where 
the finny creatures rest, preparatory to another venture into 
the next division of the boxes, where the fish pant and re- 
cover their strength for other attempts to go on for a few 
yards more, when the brave fellows get into the smooth water 
of Taunton River. 




The writer of these pages was much amused at witness- 
ing the tenacity of purpose of these fish in preparing to gen- 
erate their young ; in the same way, small birds will work 
with their little bodies, with such untiring zeal, in the build- 
ing of their nests ; and the common herring has a greater 
value in one's eyes, when we behold their almost savage 
fight with the watery elements, in trying to get to their 
yearly abode to propagate, and an observer can feel great 



80 I! AMBLES IN AMERICA. 

respect for this lmmble lish species, in their heroic efforts to 
reach the river home of their infancy. 



Taunton Insane Asylum. 

This institution, said to be one of the finest and best con- 
ducted in the country, is situated in the suburbs of Taunton. 
We were courteously received by the chief medical super- 
intendent, and shown through the various wards by his 
assistant surgeon, who seemed to have great influence over 
the unfortunate patients. To attempt to describe the differ- 
ent phases of madness of the miserable beings incarcerated 
here would be too harrowing in detail ; suffice it to say, that 
religious mania of various grades, excessive rum drinking 
results, and inherent insanity, running through families for 
generations, by marriages which are worse than wicked, 
make up the sum total of nearly all iusane asylums. 

The Taunton asylum is pleasantly situated on elevated 
ground, a little out of the city ; the buildings, which are large 
and spacious, command a noble view of the surrounding 
country. In short, the splendid accommodations for the 
patients, the admirable arrangements throughout, and the 
apparently humane, kind treatment of the suffering inmates, 
all claim for this hospital the character of being one of the 
noblest institutions in America for suffering humanity ; and 
vies with the mother country, England, in kindred and good 
emulation, by endeavoring to alleviate the poor, stricken, rea- 
son-bereft souls, in their pitiful infirmity. In visiting this 
asylum, some years ago, the most affecting case in the 
women's department was that of a young lady, about nine- 
teen years old ; but though so young, at the point of death. 
When we entered her little bed-chamber, she partly turned 
round on her cot, and her countenance bore, as is not unu- 
sual in such cases, the impress of returning reason, prior to 
dissolution. The doctor felt her pulse, and whispered in 
my ear that she was sinking fast : nor could one help think- 
ing how this bud of fair promise had been blighted, how the 
joy of her family and friends had been turned by her in- 
firmity into poignant s"rrow. It was gratifying to observe 
what kind and affectionate attentions she received from her 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 81 

afflicted companions in confinement, and what care they 
took to bring her, daily, fresh bouquets of wild flowers, to 
adorn her death-bed ; a plain proof that even though the 
lamp of reason burn dim, the affections and sympathies still 
continue, undiminished in warmth and power. ' k The anxi- 
ety of those around her," said my guide. " has hourly been 
more intense, nor scarcely can I enter the ward, without 
being led to the poor girl's bedside ; for these unfortunates 
imagine, like some sane persons, that our art can accomplish 
miracles. However," added he, *' her sufferings will soon be 
over, for the pulse already is nearly imperceptible, and the 
unerring sign of returning reason leaves but little doubt of 
her speedy death." This affecting scene is touchingly por- 
trayed in the following sonnet, written impromptu by a 
kinsman of mine, to whom I had mentioned the circum- 
stance : — 

" Upon a couch she lay — young, sick, and pale, 

Bereft of reason's soul-inspiring beam, 
She who had trod the hill and riowery dale — 

A village Flora, wandering by the stream. 
The roses from her peachy cheek had fled, 

The lustre from her bright blue eyes was fading; 
Those lips now pale, though once so warm and red. 

As though ripe cherries were them shading; 
Yet not alone, — for she had dreaming been, 

And so dream'd of those then gone forever ; 
But with those dreams came reason's potent queen 

Yet once again, but soon, too soon, to sever, 
For quick her bruis'd and weary spirit rlew 

Up to the stars which shine in cloudless blue." 

Since our long absence from Taunton, we found a new 
wing had been added to the asylum, thus showing the in- 
crease of insanity. Gloom, however, does not always rest 
at this hospital. Festivities are provided by the thoughtful 
managers occasionally, such as theatrical performances by 
amateurs. Dancing, music, and games are indulged in by 
the attendants and convalescent patients, the other invalids 
looking stolidly on, sometimes with a gleam of reason and 
sunshine on their blank faces. 

The population of Taunton, in the census returns of 1885, 
was 23,674. The recent census of 1890, when completed, 
will in all probability enumerate the city about 27, ''00. 



82 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



The Floods at Taunton. 

The mouth of February, 1889, will be long remembered 
as an eventful episode to the inhabitants of Taunton and its 
vicinity, by the disastrous flooding of the district, caused by 
the freshets of copious rains, and ice aud snow suddenly 
melting, thus pouring down on every available low land, like 
a gigantic avalanche pushed on by rapid, turbid streams ; 
breaking through dams, tearing bridges from their supports, 
causing dwellings to totter and fall, factories to sap their 
foundations, creating consternation and dismay on young 
and old during the water-king's reign of terror of those 
days in the sad awakening of the mighty power of rushing 
waters and ravages of inundations. 

Though the destruction of many thousands of dollars was 
the result of this direful visitation, yet happily we record no 
loss of life, though the calamity was felt very severely by 
small property holders and tenants, who lost nearly all they 
possessed, insurance on water damage being of no avail in 
this instance. The fine brick-built factory of Messrs. Reed 
& Barton's silver-ware works was injured some $10,000, 
while Messrs. Loveriug's cotton mills at Whittenton suffered 
to a still larger amount, and many others at the "Green'' 
and "■Weir" were financial losers by the sudden loosening 
of the surging element. 

The mayor and City Council of Taunton were equal to the 
occasion, and promptly, by its action, voted large sums of 
money to quickly as possible repair the sad havoc made by 
the floods, which caused immediate work for many men out 
of employment. The tire department, police, and citizen 
volunteers of the city worked with a will, night and day, till 
nigh exhausted, iu their valiant efforts to save life and prop- 
erty, calling forth much commendation for their energy and 
bravery towards suffering humanity. 

Hon. Henry M. Lovering, of Whittenton. 

Mr. Lovering, a gentleman well known in Taunton, has, 
we understand, generously given seven hundred square feet 
of land in the suburbs of the city, near Scadding's Pond, for 
the use of young men to play ball, or any other game of 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 83- 

manly out-door sports. The ground will be graded and lev- 
elled into proper form by the giver, and we may say such a gift 
is a great boon in a growing neighborhood, where young peo- 
ple can enjoy themselves untramelled, in a judicious manner, 
either on Saturday afternoons or summer evenings, besides 
being on a healthy recreation grassy land, after the confine- 
ment of the business occupation of the day. The donor 
deserves the thanks of the numerous recipients of this favor, 
who, no doubt, will appreciate the offering by many a well- 
contested game of base-ball in the future. 

The anniversary of the cattle show and fair of Sept. 25, 
and two following days, held on the outskirts of Taunton, 
Bristol County, is a yearly event of much interest to the 
farmer, mill-worker, and artisan, all of whom don their 
holiday attire during the three gala days' amusement and 
excitement. Factories and workshops generally shut down 
on one of the days, when crowds of people inspect the fat 
cattle, and criticise the trotting races around the well- 
graded track. The hall for the exhibition of fruits and 
vegetables, specimens of fine art-work, and choice ladies' 
needle-work, is always well patronized by sight-seers. 

Taunton's Great Celebration of June 4, 1889. 

Never, perhaps, in the annals of celebration did the citizens 
of any town or city work with such a will as the Tauntonites 
did in preparing and organizing the vast event of its two- 
hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the town's formation. 
From the year 1639 to 1889 — almost from the day of the 
Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth Rock — does Taunton trace her 
two and a half centuries pedigree. And during the day of 
June 4, 1889, the event was celebrated by story and song ; 
interesting speeches of old reminiscences, till present time,, 
were delivered by scholarly gentlemen of Massachusetts and 
other States. The historical review by Judge Edmund H. 
Bennett, at Music Hall, was an interesting and masterly 
address, and, followed by the meritorious poem, by Henry 
W. Colby, of historical events of the town's rise and prog- 
ress, impressed its hearers with the many vicissitudes of a 
two and a half centuries pedigree. Banquets, balls, ad~ 



#4 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

dresses, receptions, and Beethoven Society vocal singing, 
followed by a grand dance in Armory Hall, with Reeves's full 
hand in attendance, completed the first day's celebration; 
and great credit is due to the various joint committees, by 
their many months' efforts of preparation in thus carrying 
out the wishes of the community of the district. The ban- 
quet at Agricultural Hall was attended by Vice-President 
Levi P Morton, Gov. Oliver Ames, and a number of dis- 
tinguished guests. 

The second day's festivities consisted of trades proces- 
sion, historical tableaux, singing by children of public 
schools, etc., concluding by an elaborate display of fireworks 
in the evening. At eleven o'clock a. m. the procession 
started on its line of march, passing through some of the 
leading thoroughfares and a few side streets. The multi- 
tude of people on the sidewalks and roadways, with the 
influx of visitors from adjacent towns, numbered up in the 
thousands. p>ery foot of ground and 'every vantage place 
of window, piazza, or balcony were crowded with human 
faces to catch a sight of Taunton's pageant. It is computed 
that not less than twenty thousand sight-seers came from 
neighboring cities, thus augmenting Taunton's own towns- 
people by a large gathering of humanity. 

It would tire the reader to enumerate all that was to be 
seen on that ever-to-be-remembered Wednesday, June 5, 
1889 ; but suffice it to say, the historical tableaux, the smart- 
looking fire companies, the mounted Indians, and the trades 
procession generally, were a great success of the grand mus- 
ter of business men and their employees, many of whom 
worked at their trades in their movable temporary work- 
shops. 

Every conceivable business was here represented, and in 
many instances the costly teams of fine horses and equip- 
ment must have taken much time and care in the prepara- 
tion for this notable day. A striking feature of one of the 
many teams of the trades procession was an artistic store 
on wheels, fitted out for the occasion by Messrs. Heed & 
Barton, the eminent silver-ware firm, established in Taun- 
ton over half a century. Securely fixed on this novel and 
graceful vehicle were displayed silver ice pitchers, tea and 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 85 

coffee services, cake baskets and other numerous works of 
art, placed on a velvet platform, interspersed with flowers, 
the whole combined giving a very novel and unique effect ; 
and the shaking of this curious carriage, drawn by richly ca- 
parisoned horses, managed by a jaunty driver, ovBr the jolting 
road, never displaced the numerous pretty and choice goods 
of artistic skill on this movable store of glitter, in the mid- 
day sunlight. 

The numerous exhibits, from one end of the procession to 
the other, were almost inexhaustive, from the raw, crude ma- 
terial to the finished work of skilled labor, thus forcibly 
showing what individual effort could do in assisting to make 
their two centuries and a half formation a success in the 
way of a great demonstration 

It scarcely need be stated that every factory, mill, workship, 
and store, also offices of all kinds, were closed to do homage 
to the ancient town's Jubilee of 18«9. Hon. Henry M. Lover- 
ing officiated as chief marshal of the day, acquitting himself 
nobly of his many duties, in which he was ably assisted by the 
deputy marshal and a number of efficient aids. Carriages 
containing his Excellency Oliver Ames, Governor of Massa- 
chusetts, accompanied by staff officers ; his Honor R. Henry 
Hall, mayor of Taunton (president of the day), judges and 
notable dignitaries, members of the city government and 
other officials, gave a dignity b\ T their presence to the time- 
honored celebration. 

The trades procession, military and civil, with fire compa- 
nies and numerous historical tableaux, took nearly two hours 
in passing a given point, and though somewhat lengthy in 
some of its duplicate teams of business, it did not seem to 
tire one, but, on the contrary, all seemed pleased at the efforts 
made to celebrate this great day. Special mention can be 
made of the first-rate and excellent bands of music, which 
greatly added to the full enjoyment of the scene ; and the 
committee of arrangements were not niggardly in their en- 
gaging such, a goodly number of bands from in and out of 
town. And another feature, on this beautiful, balmy, June 
day, was the singing of the boys and girls from the various 
public schools ; the fresh, young voices of the songsters sang 
with a zest of health and vigor, and the waving of their 



86* RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

miniature flags, as the procession passed their stand (oppo- 
site the City Hall) , gave quue a picturesque effect. The large 
triumphal arch, formed with some trouble and expense, 
looked quite imposing from "The Green's" enclosure of 
grassy verdure ; the myriads of flags and bunting ably added 
to the brightness of the pleasant surroundings. The police 
arrangements were excellent, but the good-natured multitude 
never required police surveillance, for the masses swayed 
good-humoredly on the crowded streets. Many women and 
children, and men also, were foot-sore and tired on that 
beautiful day, but all classes seemed happy and contented, 
aud all classes seemed to be represented by old and young : 
the rich manufacturers and their families, the robust, well- 
dressed mechanics and mill workers and their wives and 
children, the burly farmers and their spouses and pretty 
daughters. 

The wish of the writer is this : that good old Taunton may 
progress in her future prosperity as successfully as the city 
has done in the past two hundred and fifty years formation 
■of her being. 

As a sequel to the recent anniversary celebration in this 
city, we may add a very pleasing feature in connection with 
the festival: that of Taunton, England, sending a very 
elaborate, engrossed, complimentary address to the citizens 
of American Taunton. The City Council have instructed the 
anniversary committee to prepare and send an appropriate 
reply, of suitable character, and emblematical of the time of 
early formation of the town. The document will comprise 
a printed parchment, with hand-painted border of mayflowers 
and leaves, having at the top a water-color sketch of the 
lauding of the ship " Mayflower," and at the bottom a view 
on Taunton River, while in the centre is a very pretty sketch 
of Taunton Green, looking north ; on either side is a mono- 
gram of the respective dates of 1639 and 1889. 

The writer of these pages, on taking leave of Taunton and 
its very hospitable people, must make a grateful confession ; 
for in all the towns, villages, and cities he has "visited, aud 
the thousands of miles he has traversed, in no section of the 
United States has more considerate kindness been given any 
one than has been showered on this traveller. At all times, 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 87 

* 

in all seasons, whether expected or not, a kindly welcome 
•ever awaited the visitor, and many days have been spent in 
the generous homes of these Taunton folks with well-remem- 
bered pleasure and gratitude. 

Providence, R. I. 

Providence, the capital of Rhode Island .State, and the 
second city of the six New England States in population, 
wealth, and commerce, is situated at the head of Narragan- 
set Bay, and is built on elevated ground on both sides of 
Providence River, over which there are several bridges, unit- 
ing the two divisions of the city. The city is irregularly 
built, but has many good houses, especially in the upper parts, 
which, being deemed more healthy, are chiefly inhabited by 
the "upper ten" of the Rhode Island moneyocracy. Provi- 
dence is a place of great trading and manufacturing activity, 
having flour, sawing, marble-polishing, cotton and woollen 
mills, screw factories, iron foundries, shops for making 
india-rubber boots and shoes, extensive jewelry and silver 
manufactories, and other metallic works, etc., carried on and 
aided by powerful steam-power ; besides which, there is a 
large coasting and oyster-fishing trade, and great pleasure 
traffic in summer. 

The early history of Providence is full of interest. It was 
originally settled in 1636 by a body of emigrants under 
Roger Williams, who had the honor of establishing the first 
political community founded on the principle of perfect 
religious toleration. It suffered much during the Indian 
War of 1765, when many of the inhabitants removed to 
Rhode Island for shelter ; but in the War of Independence 
the favor was reciprocated, as great numbers of the rural 
population sought refuge in Providence. In 1801 the town 
was almost laid in ashes by a conflagration ; and in 1815 a 
savage gale occurred, raising the tide many feet above its 
usual height, and causing a destruction of property to the 
■ amount of nearly two millions of dollars. The census of 
1890 enumerates Providence at 131,558 inhabitants, an in- 
crease in five years of 13,500 persons. 



88 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



Hotels and Theatres, Providence. 

There are several good hotels in this city, the foremost in 
size being the Narraganset House, erected but a few years 
ago ; this building, for completeness, space, and loftiness, can 
compete with most hotels in larger towns. The rotunda of 
the hotel is very comfortably arranged with easy-chairs and 
lounges, for the tired traveller to rest and smoke a fragrant 
cigar in ; and hanging on its wall is a magnificent painting 
of the death of Lord Nelson on board the ship "Victory."' 
The Narraganset is a red brick structure, and of great 
height, also of commanding frontage ; it stands in bold relief 
as an imposing dwelling-place for the comforts of man or 
woman either. We can speak well of its interior accommo- 
dations, its elegance of apartments, and valuable picture gal- 
lery, and the urbanity of its genial manager and officials 
generally. There is an excellent lunclieon bar, in connec- 
tion with the hotel proper, and where some slices of roast 
beef, with fixings, are very enjoyable to hurried business men. 
The City Hotel, the Dorrance, and many others of smaller 
calibre, have all in their way merits as cosy stopping-over 
places for residents and visitors. The Aldrich House (lately 
burnt) was an exceptionally homelike, comfortable hostel. 

The theatres are the Providence Opera House, of fair- 
sized auditorium and spacious stage, and where we have 
seen Edwin Booth and several English stars act during 
the season. Various travelling troupes in the play months 
visit Providence, and some of their starring abilities are 
more on paper, in picture form, than in artistic reality. 
Keith's Gaiet}- Theatre is a compact, prettily decorated place 
of amusement, and during the theatrical season has its 
share of patronage. The Infantry and music halls, for lec- 
tures, concerts, and balls, and some minor variety museums, 
complete the leading attractions of this city. 

Brown University College, Providence. 

The above-named college, situated on Prospect Terrace, is 
known far and wide as a great seat of learning, and many 
talented students ememe from these walls to become master 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 89 

minds in Law, Physics, or Divinity, on this continent. The 
College Carnival is a peculiar institution, held annually, at 
the end of term time, when every conceivable grotesque 
dress of masquerade character is brought into requisition ; 
every species of the " antique and horrible " are burlesqued 
by these merry student maskers. It was a curious, weird 
sight to see the long line of procession troop up Westminster 
Street to its destination, to " burn or bury their books," as it 
is termed. Clowns, demons, knights, officers of army and 
navy, skeletons, flower girls, countesses, sheperdesses, and 
many other individualities are copied by these wild young 
men, in their vagaries before vacation. Several bands of 
music enliven this ghastly carnival of torchlight array, for to 
bury the books, a coffin is carried on men's shoulders, with 
the supposed offending books in it. Many of the revelling 
masker's are mounted on horseback. 

Also during the season, a grand lawn party, on the Brown 
University grounds, is held. We, having an invitation, 
were much pleased with the animated scene of promenaders ; 
the elegant toilets of the well-dressed ladies looked very cool 
and becoming that warm summer evening, and the young 
students, in their dress suits, and gentlemanly collegian 
manner, behaved towards their guests in such a very polite 
manner, that one would not have known them as the same 
young men of the torchlight carnival parade. The strains of 
the excellent music, conducted by Reeves, of the American 
Band, lent additional charm to this picturesque gathering on 
the lawn. 

Churches in Providence. 

Providence has many church denominations, the principal 
of which is ' k All Saints Memorial," of High Church ritual 
service. The singing by the choristers is of -very excellent 
character. The sacred structure is of lofty architectural 
proportions, and reminds one of the abbeys in Europe. 
Adjacent to this Episcopal church, in the same thoroughfare 
(High Street), is the magnificent pile of buildings which has 
taken some years to construct, — the large Catholic cathe- 
dral, now completed. The exterior architecture is of the 



90 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

usual fine character that pervades most cathedrals, whether 
Protestant or Catholic, and the interior is quite in keeping 
in its decorative beauty with the outside. Valuable paintings 
adorn the cathedral walls, and the stained-glass windows of 
sacred subjects are superb in their manipulation. It is said 
millions of dollars have been expended on the erection and 
decoration of this edifice. Grace Church is a fine old struc- 
ture of much sanctity in appearance, while the Union Con- 
gregational Church, on Broad Street, with its fine quartet of 
singers, has had many eminent divines in past years, but to 
individualize the several talented clergymen of this city is 
not the intention of the writer. We might mention Saint 
Stephen's Episcopal High Church, in George Street. During 
the Lenten season of 1889 monthly oratorios were per- 
formed by a choir of voices of remarkable .talent, the leading 
singer being a boy, with a pure, sweet voice, of great power. 
Providence is oftentimes blessed with a flying visit from 
popular evangelists. Rev. Fay Mills stayed here some 
weeks, about a year ago. and converted many souls by his 
pathos of story-telling of benighted people brought to God. 
In February, 1890, Rev. Sam Small preached twice in the 
Music Hall. The magnetism of voice and manner was very 
telling when the lecturer spoke of his early life and vicissi- 
tudes of a drunkard's downward career. The vivid pictures 
of heart-broken wives and parents were told with much 
emotion to a large audience of attentive men, as a warning 
example to shun alcoholic liquors, and turn to the great and 
good Muster. Rev. Mr. Harrison (the boy preacher) has 
done much good here by his exhortations. 

The Gorham Manufacturing Company, Providence. 

No doubt the visitor to Providence has oftentimes, on 
leaving the depot, seen the name on a large block of build- 
ings, situated on Steeple Street and Market Square, " Gor- 
ham Silver Plate Company." 

To enter the inside of this famed factory, or emporium of 
fine art. silver and gold work, is a rich treat to the unini- 
tiated. The firm's sterling-silver goods are known all over the 
American continent ; in fact, all over the known world. For 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 91 

more than half a century, the reputation of these manufac- 
turers in fine art-work of precious metals has always kept 
well to the fore, in their laudable endeavors to make first- 
-lass articles of the best and choicest designs, and no ex- 
pense or trouble are spared in the excellence of all details of 
the utmost minutia?. From the chief designers, down to the 
youngest apprentice boy, a strict attention to discipline is 
ever manifested by the extensive experience of the general 
managers and assistants, who for many years have so ably 
carried the business on to success. The writer of these 
pages, being well acquainted with the inside workings of this 
celebrated art workshop, can safely guarantee it being the 
leading manufacturing silversmiths in America. When trade 
is good, the firm employs about one thousand hands ; and 
most of these are skilled workers of the precious metals, 
and invariably command good wages, which the company has 
always had the reputation of paying to its men, who ai'e 
worthy of it. 

A magnificent store and show-rooms, in New York, con- 
tain many fine specimens of repousse chasing, ornamental 
engraving, superb die-cutting, damascene, and other styles 
of skilled artistic work, from the candelabra of many 
branches to the choice tea and coffee, also dinner, services, of 
every conceivable pattern and variety of design, chased, en- 
graved, plain, hammered and etched. From the crude and 
rough ingots of silver from the mines, thence melted into 
form of skellets, to be rolled into sheets of certain thick- 
ness, — of such beginnings are these elegant goods manu- 
factured in the numerous departments of the Gorham Com- 
pany. 

Mention may be made of the magnificent display of choice 
articles exhibited at the Centennial Exposition, Fairmount 
Park, Philadelphia, in 1876, for which gold medals were 
awarded the firm ; and foremost among the splendid speci- 
mens of the artists' cunning was the renowned " Century 
Vase," designed and modelled with consummate skill, chased 
and executed with great finish and taste. This masterpiece 
of work in sterling silver represented arts, commerce, civili- 
zation, and progress. Each of these were shown in panels 
of figure work, highly wrought in the modelling and chasing. 



02 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

The plaques of tropical fruits and flowers were very fine in 
the manipulation ; in fact, the whole conception was of rare 
artistic merit, a credit to the firm who had courage enough 
to invest some thousands of dollars on one article, and a 
lasting ci edit to the artists who created such an elaborate 
design, so emblematical in its treatment of the rise and prog- 
ress of the American Continent. This Century Vase was 
exhibited at the Paris Exposition in the season of 1<s,s:i. and, 
with other choice works of art of the firm's manufacture, 
commanded much attention and admiration from the myriads 
of sight-seers in the French capital. A gold medal was 
awarded the Gorham Company by the committee of judges 
of the Paris exhibition. 

Apropos of the increasing business of the Messrs. Gor- 
ham, the firm began operations, in August, 1888, to erect a 
colossal factory at Klmwood, just outside Providence, on the 
road to Roger Williams Park. Report says that this range 
of buildings, with elegant show-rooms and offices attached, 
will take two years to construct, and fix the factories 
with machinery and other plant ; and that the expense 
involved will count up into many hundreds of thousands of 
dollars. The old factory on Steeple Street had done its 
work bravely and well ; it was formerly a hotel, with low- 
studded rooms on some of the floors. The more modern 
building improvements at Elmwood, of greatly increased 
light and loftiness, will add very much to the comfort and 
health of the army of men employed. The author of these 
rambles and reminiscences wishes the Gorham Company every 
success in their n< w building enterprise, as their prosperity 
is the well-being and happiness of many firesides of em- 
ployees, their wives and children. Since writing the above, 
the new factory in Elmwood was completed, duly, 1890, and 
the works assume now one vast beehive of art industry, and 
no doubt will be visited with great interest. 

Providence, R. I., Fire, at corner of Washington Street. 

On Wednesday, Feb. 15, 1888, at about midnight, the fire- 
alarm bells rang out their dread summons of peril. The writer 
of these pages, living in the city of Providence, was awak- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 93 

<ened from his sleep by the fire-bells ringing ominously, and 
the lurid glare of a great conflagration close by. Hurriedly 
dressing and hastily arriving at the scene, we found Chace's, 
and Billing's blocks, also the Aldrich House, one mass of 
flame. For hours the doomed district burned with unre- 
mitting fury, tht; high wind and freezing atmosphere almost 
paralyzing the efforts of the brave firemen in their arduous 
duty of that terrible night. Assistance came from Paw- 
tucket, Olneyville, and adjacent towns, rendering much aid. 
The well-appointed fire department of Providence did all 
that heroic men could do in trying to stop the spreading of 
the conflagration, for it looked, at one time, as if part of 
Westminster Street would fall a prey to the devouring ele- 
ment ; but Chief Engineer Steere, with his usual promptness 
and energy, was around everywhere, directing his able assist- 
ants, so that danger was over by Thursday morn ; and as 
the tired-out firemen wended their way homeward, a sorry 
spectacle they looked, in their rubber coats, being one mass 
of coated ice, the water having frozen on these dauntless 
men as they worked the hose on the burning pile. The fan- 
tastic appearance of the frozen spray adhering to the ruins of 
that ouce famed hostel, the Aldrich House, brought many 
visitors from far and near. Loss estimated at nearly half a 
million, and might have reached much more, except by the 
gallant labors of the firemen in limiting the disaster. 

The burnt district has been rebuilt in 1890 in a very sub- 
stantial manner. 

Firemen's Relief Association, Providence. 

The second annual concert and ball, held in Infantry Hall, 
on Thursday evening, Jan. 23, 1890, was apparently a 
financial success, as well as socially, by the great dem- 
onstration at this brilliant gathering of some two thou- 
sand five hundred persons in the hall and galleries, all of 
whom were willing to recognize the brave firemen's protec- 
tion to their city in the hour of need, and by the visitors' 
presence to aid their organization of the Firemen's Relief 
Association. The hall was profusely decorated with flags, 
bunting, and mottoes, and the chief event of the evening's 



94 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

festivities consisted of a concert by the famed Reeves's Amer- 
ican Band, a prominent feature of the programme being a 
realistic scene of a winter's night alarm, with scenic effect 
and apparatus, showing the process as it actually exists in 
the fire stations, from the men sliding down the pole from 
their bedrooms to the start with engines and excited, well- 
trained, valuable horses. The drop-scenes on the stage, 
painted for this occasion, represented the Aldrich House 
on fire, near midnight. Feb. 15, 1888, and the last scene 
of the doomed building, with its festoons of icicles, created 
much applause from the immense audience, in conjunction 
with Reeves's Band playing the composition of " The Night 
Alarm." The centre row of the east balcony, which had 
been reserved for invited guests, was occupied by Gov. 
W. H. Ladd and his military staff; Mayor Henry R. Bar- 
ker and aldermen and councilmen also being present. 

The costumes of many ladies in the grand march were of 
fine character, intermixed with others of more sedate type, 
while the full evening dress of the gentlemen dancers 
blended well with the charming toilets of the lady waltzers. 

The writer (accompanied with friends) was much pleased 
with his visit, and danced several times with fairy-like forms 
till the small hours of morning. The supper in the drill 
hall was a centre of attraction from ten to one o'clock. 

Citizens of Providence wish Chief Steere and his noble 
firemen every success in the future. 

Alfredians at Rocky Point, Aug. 7, 1889. 

The sixteenth annual excursion of the Order of "Alfred- 
ians" in Rhode Island took place Aug. 7, 1889, at Rocky 
Point, where it had been held for some years previous. The 
National Band, forty pieces, headed a very unique parade 
through the principal streets of Providence. The procession 
consisted of Alfredians in uniform of the Order, and about one 
hundred boys and girls in most bewitching costumes. Some 
of the little tots of girls seemed too young to parade far, 
but they bore the fatigue bravely, and were watched over by 
kind, burly policemen ; the day, at starting, was very bright 
and beautiful, and the young folks' youthful flow of spirits 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 95 

was up to zenith point, in exuberance of the anticipation of 
the day's frolic. The steamer " City of Newport " carried a 
very joyous crowd, as the procession trooped on board ; 
the band giving a popular concert during the sail down the 
river, and the numerous craft saluting the merry party made 
things lively on the trip. After a good shore dinner, the 
old English games began, in the enclosure devoted to races 
and dances, and it was computed about five thousand per- 
sons passed through the gates. In the afternoon sports, 
there were high jumps, low jumps, running races, jumping 
in sacks, etc. ; but the chief attraction of all was the little 
damsels, dressed as milkmaids, with their miniature three- 
legged stools and milk-pails, attended by their zouave boy es- 
corts. The costumes of these young people were very bright 
and pretty, the girls being dressed alike, in white dresses, 
with jaunty little blue-and-red aprons, and colored turban 
hats ; the dairymaids' song and dance, the butterfly dance, 
and the ever-popular maypole dance, gave a very good pro- 
gramme of nimble feet, to the inspiring strains of the music, 
not forgetting a sailor's hornpipe of two couples, danced 
with much nautical action Prof, and Mrs. Greene are to 
be complimented on the drilling of their young pupils ; and 
also to the committees for a pleasant outing to about ten 
thousand" people. 

Medical Aid Society, of Providence, 1889. 

For some twelve months past, a movement has been on 
foot to organize a self helping Medical Aid Society among 
the wage-workers of factories, mills, and other places of 
business in Rhode Island. Its object, as its humane origi- 
nator, Mr. Andrew McCue, explained, at a large meeting, 
held at Keith's Opera House a short while since, is to secure 
competent medical aid, by co-operation, to working-men, 
their wives and children. No family desires to evade the 
payment of an honorable account within their means, but 
the burden of doctors' bills, after a long sickness, is fre- 
quently very heavy. Medical men should not be expected 
to take care of patients who are unable to pay for attend- 
ance. The scheme of the proposed Medical Aid Society 



96 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

includes the issue of free tickets to the Rhode Island and 
Homoeopathic hospitals. Rev. Mr. Sheer — who has given 
much valuable time in furtherance of this proposed society, 
by his kindly advice and presence at the various meetings — - 
stated the plans of the organization at some length, and 
explained that the Aid Society was to be of strictly business 
principles, managed through factory committees elected by 
the members, each man paying twenty-live cents per month ; 
and the sick will be cared for in the hospital and by private 
physicians, most of whom in Providence have willingly vol- 
unteered to assist in this good work. Other speakers fol- 
lowed in explaining the object of this humane idea, particu- 
larly the chairman of the evening, his Honor Mayor Barker, 
Rev. Mr. Woodbury, etc. 

This scheme of aiding the working-men and their fami- 
lies — similar to the facilities given to the wage-workers in 
Birmingham, England — will, no doubt, in time, when thor- 
oughly organized, work well ; and as self-help is mostly the 
best of help, a good chance is here presented for artisans to 
assist themselves to medical care for a very small payment, 
which they would never miss ; and it devolves on all right- 
minded men, who have any pride in themselves and affec- 
tion for their wives and families, to put their shoulders to 
the wheel, and help the good work along ; for when this 
humane scheme has once been launched, there is no telling 
of the magnitude and the good results that will soon follow 
such a movement in the aid of suffering humanity. 

Narraganset State Fair. 

Narraganset Trotting Park is situated a car ride of some 
six miles from the city proper of Providence, and the 
annual fair held here is usually a time of great attraction to 
Rhode Islanders and many others. The exhibition of stock in 
the season of 1884 was very fine ; the cattle were large in num- 
ber, and in good condition, — some splendid specimens of 
milch cows, enormous draught oxen, and bulls with ancestral 
pedigree. The track for trotting horses was a well-graded 
one, and from the commodious grand stand a long-range 
view could be had of the trotters. The horses appeared of 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. $7 

the average kind which are seen in most cattle-fairs. A 
number of the choice cattle got prizes, and looked weary 
enough on the last day of the exhibition A full band of 
music enlivened the proceedings of the day, and but few in- 
toxicated people were seen anywhere about, as is the usual 
case at these gatherings. The season of September, 1888, was 
the advent ofr a marriage ceremony (from this park) in the 
car of a balloon, which ascended as soon as the nuptials were 
completed. Some forty thousand sight-seers gazed at the 
young couple as they ascended to the sky in Prof. Allen's 
big balloon. Marriage of itself has enough risks, one 
would imagine, without tempting more by a public exhibi- 
tion and hazardous ride in an aerial machine. Publicity of 
the sacred tie of matrimony should, we think, be confined to 
the home or the church, and not to the gaze of an excited 
crowd of morbid curiosity mongers. The young married 
couple descended into a swamp near North Easton, Mass., 
and were dragged about two miles before a safe lauding 
was effected. 

Buttonwoods Beach, and its Neighborhood. 

A pleasant railway ride from Providence of some three 
quarters of an hour takes the visitor to Buttonwoods. It 
is charmingly situated on the banks of the Narraganset, a 
sort of tributary or inlet thereof, and its waters are safe 
sailing for amateur yachtsmen and others venturesome in 
small craft. Some kind friends of the writer have often- 
times invited him to the hospitalities of their pretty gabled 
cottage, and to varied sails around and about the river 
and bay in their sail-boat, and many hours of pleasure we 
have had, cruising on the glassy waters of the inlet. Ex- 
cellent bathing can be had from the beach, its smooth, sandy 
shores sloping down the shallow depths making a healthy 
retreat for ladies and children, unattended with danger. 

To the jaded business man of Providence or elsewhere, 
Buttonwoods offers many attractions. The convenient access 
by rail, night and morning, to and from its pleasant sur- 
roundings, and the calm and quiet of the locality, add to 
its charm, and cause a longing for the summer season to 



98 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

come around. The resort has a commodious hotel, and 
quite a number of handsome cottages. A good concreted 
walk forms an esplanade to the beach's front, and is a fine, 
breezy promenade or drive around the avenues. 

River Dell, on the Providence River, is a sheltered inlet 
opposite to Green's Island, and almost facing the shores of 
Barrington and Nayet. It is a pretty little hamlet, composed 
chiefly of farms and apple orchards, and overlooking the 
channel waters is a cosy country boarding-house, called tw Cliff 
Cottage," presided over by a worthy Scotch lady, and where, 
in the season, clams and other kinds of fish are always on 
hand, cooked to perfection. Bathing, boating, and fishing are 
much in vogue here during the summer months. 

Roger Williams Park, Providence. 

Roger Williams Park is a pleasant cultivated enclosure of 
man}- acres of mostly cultivated land, and in the summer 
season a great resort for the inhabitants of surrounding 
districts, and visitors generally, it being a favorite and pop- 
ular horse-car ride over several routes from the city ; and 
there is also a railway depot in the park. The chief aud 
most patronized ride is through picturesque Elmwood, with 
its many pretty, gabled villas, and cottages of well-to-do 
people ; and from various avenues of South Providence, 
great numbers of Sunday and holiday folks stream into the 
park. A miniature menagerie, which delights the children, 
is on the grounds, and the pleasant lake furnishes recreation 
and amusement in the row-boats to 3'oung and old. A new 
lake, converted out of swamp ground, has just been completed 
this season, 188!), and with the new granite stone bridge 
and freshly graded, grassy lawns, will add much to the orna- 
mentation of the park, and give increased facilities for boat- 
ing exercise. We believe a deer park of large dimensions 
is to be made from the waste lands shortly, and it is much 
needed by the animals in their cooped-up enclosure. In the 
winter time, skating (when there is ice) and tobogganing on 
the smooth rivulet are much enjoyed by the young ladies and 
boys of the various schools, most of the skaters being adepts 
in the healthy exercise, giving quite a roseate hue to the 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 99' 

peachy cheeks of the fair young damsels. During a part of 
the summer season, a band of music plays afternoons and 
evenings on alternative days, and generally draws a big 
crowd of people. 

Pawtuxet River, a short distance from Roger Williams 
Park, is much in request during fine weather for rowing and 
bathing. Its picturesque shores are thronged with visitors 
during the warm weather, for the invigorating bath and 
health-giving exercise to the muscles of the body, and 
Rhode's noted clam-bakes are much in vogue here during 
the season by holiday makers. 

The Cotton Centennial, Pawtucket, 1890. 

If it had been possible for the venerable Samuel Slater 
to have risen from his grave and beheld the six clays' jubilee 
held in his honor at Pawtucket, the good man might have 
blushed with amazement. For nearly a week the celebra- 
tion of pageants of no ordinary kind were kept up, and 
the various committees must have had enough to do, when 
we remember the labor of organizing entertainments, such 
as large Sunday-school gatherings, military and civic pa- 
rades, trades processions, secret society parades, veteran 
firemen's contests with manual engines, the hall exhibit, 
boat-races on the Seekonk River ; and to crown all, King Cot- 
ton's carnival parade of grotesques and carnival ball were to 
wind up the festivities of the programme. The Englishman, 
Samuel Slater, the Father of American manufacturers, be- 
gan his work one hundred years ago. Patient and unweary- 
ing, his efforts grew as the first cotton-spinning machine 
came to birth from the brain of this extraordinary man, and 
gave Rhode Island the palm of his untiring zeal in the cul- 
mination of his efforts of machine inventing. Pawtucket's 
old town may well be proud of Samuel Slater ; in fact, all 
America has benefitted by the inventor of the shuttle and 
spindle, giving employment to so many thousands of people 
over this vast continent. And while the multitudes congre- 
gated at Pawtucket to revere the memory of the ivoiker, and 
participate in the festivities of the week, few, perhaps, would 
remember the inventor's early struggles and disappointments 



100 RAMBLES IN AMBKICA. 

ill later life, as it so often happens to those whom others 
benefit by. The cotton industry of to-day, carried on by 
energetic, wealthy men, has made rapid strides since Slater's 
time. And we say, in closing, that not only the first cotton- 
spinning machine industry was founded by him in this coun- 
try, but he established in Pawtucket one of the earliest, if 
not the first, Sunday school in America. Mr. Samuel 
Slater's thoughtful care of those employed by him, and the 
welfare of the masses generally, has contributed very largely 
to the fame of the man who has just been appreciated and 
honored by the recent centennial celebration. 

The Cove, Providence 

For some time a movement has been on foot to utilize the 
Cove, adjoining the Providence railway terminus. For years 
the disagreeable smell of this unpleasant, muddy water has 
been a source of trouble and annoyance to the city by its 
impurities in hot weather. A remedy is now proposed by 
the railroad company purchasing the site, aiid with scows 
empty the refuse, and then fill in the large area for an 
immense central depot. As many men are now at the work, 
it looks as if the project would be carried out some time in 
the future. 

Near by the railway station in Exchange Place is a fine 
granite monument, with a well-chiselled figure of a Union 
soldier on its summit ; at the base are numerous cannon- 
balls, and around the paved square are four very excellent 
clusters of gas lamps, modelled and executed in accordance 
with the military trophy in the centre. Almost facing the 
memorial obelisk is the magnificent City Hall, not long since 
finished; it is of excellent design, and built of granite; the 
interior is very spacious, and well adapted for the city 
government's seat of offices, in the administration of its laws. 

At the cornei- of College Hill and Benefit Street is a noble- 
looking, brown-stone building, of fine proportions, — the 
Court House, erected within recent years. 

Within a few years an equestrian statue of Gen. Burnside 
has been placed on the east side of Exchange Place, near the 
headquarters of the fire-department building. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 101 

Champion Boat Race, on Seekonk River, Frovidence. 

Many of my Providence readers may remember the time 
when Edward Hanlan was in his prime of strength and 
muscle, and as champion of the world as a sculler, took 
precedence over all comers. A race took place on the See- 
konk River, June 17, 1880, for the championship of America 
and five thousand dollars. Many thousands of spectators 
were on every vantage ground, to view the aquatic contest. 
When the word " go " was given, with pistol shot, off the 
competitors started, and with wonderful precision did Han- 
lan's stroke tell over the other oarsmen, and he soon drew 
way ahead, though closely followed by Wallace Ross (his 
cousin) and some others of the scullers. As far as the eye 
could reach, Hanlan appeared to have it his own way, and 
the rounding of the stake buoy was effected without accident 
or fouling, when the home stretch was began in good earnest, 
and it was then that we observed Hanlan relax his energies, 
bend over as if in pain, and stop rowing altogether. Colic 
in the stomach, it was said, had seized the supposed winner, 
and thus spoilt one of the finest races on record. Wallace 
Ross came in first, and was declared champion and winner 
of the stake money, but great dissatisfaction was heard 
everywhere. 

Between that time and the present season of 1889 several 
changes of champion have taken place. Edward Hanlan for 
many 3'ears did good work, but younger oarsmen have 
come to the fore ; such names as Gaudaur, Teenier, Beach, 
O'Connor, Mattison, and Kemp now take the lead in all 
prominent rowing matches of the globe. Kemp is the pres- 
ent champion sculler. 

The Doyle 'Monument, at Providence. 

The unveiling of the statue of the late Mayor Doyle, on 
June 3, 1889, was a tribute of well-remembered reverence 
and affection towards a good man of this Providence city. 
For a number of years, Thomas Arthur Doyle was rechosen 
as its chief magistrate, in consequence of his clear record 
as a capable business man and official gentleman. The 



102 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

statue of bronze, resting on a marble plinth, occupying a posi- 
tion in the higher part of the city, opposite the cathedral, 
was unveiled with all due solemnity by a procession of dig- 
nitaries, religious and civic — also military and masonic 
organizations. Hut the most pleasing of all the ceremonies 
were those hundreds of school children located on a tempo- 
rary platform, who lifted their young voices in tuneful accord 
in sweet remembrance of the late Mayor, who ever loved to 
hear the young singers in times gone by. 

The modelling of the Doyle statue was entrusted to Mr. 
Henry Hudson Kitson, a young artist of rising reputation, — 
of English birth, — and his home, when in America, being 
Boston ; but in his studio at Paris the artistic work was 
begun in cla}- modelling, and in the same city the casting of 
the figure in bronze was completed. As a work of merit, 
various opinions are entertained ; but as we are not all edu- 
cated as art judges, it would be difficult for the majority to 
tell a well-modelled figure from an indifferent one. 

Nearly opposite the Doyle monument is a fine building, 
just erected, that of the "■Young Men's Christian Asso- 
ciation," a noble institute for the promotion of the wel- 
fare of young men. The kind deeds done by these institu- 
tions all over the world is a well-known theme, and brought 
forth good fruit by the humane instigator and originator in 
far-away London town, England. God grant these efforts to 
do good to young men may flourish in our midst, and that 
the magnificent and commodious new Young Men's Christian 
Association building may become the home of a religious and 
pure life to the voungmen of Providence. It is said to have 
cost SI 70,000. " 

State Prison of Rhode Island. 

About six miles from Providence city, in the Cranston 
district, is situated, on a high, breezy elevation, the State 
Prison of Rhode Island. The jail is chiefly built of brown- 
stone masonry, the windows heavily barred with iron, and 
the whole is surrounded by spacious court-yards; the out- 
lying farming land, comprising about twenty-five acres, is 
tilled principally by short-term prisoners, some forty men, 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 103 

in gang, watched over by an armed officer. The interior of 
the prison is commenced by a spacious reception room, where 
friends of the offenders are allowed to see and converse 
with, through a division of wire-work grating, the unfortu- 
nates in durance vile, on stated days. In company with a 
courteous official, the writer was shown every nook and cor- 
ner of the stronghold, — commencing with the view of the 
two dark cells, where the refractory are placed for punish- 
ment ; and to judge from a moment's incarceration therein, 
when the strong blank iron door is closed, it must be a terrible 
ordeal for any length of time, and a fearful retribution to 
remain in those dungeon cells of inky darkness. Passing on- 
ward with my guide, the chair-caning shops were inspected ; 
also the large boot and shoe factory and wire- screen shops 
were visited in turn. The busy prisoners have to work in 
silence (no talking allowed), the only sound being the hum 
and whirr of machines for shoemaking. Each room has 
instructors to teach the novices the various trades, and on a 
small raised platform sits an officer the day long, who con- 
stantly watches the men at work ; the monotony of the life 
to the overseer official must be very tiresome in ceaselessly 
overlooking the apathetic unfortunate culprits, and one would 
think the prisoners have the best time of it while at work, 
their minds being occupied by labor. 

Several life -sentence men were amongst the number of 
shorter term criminals ; one life convict having been in the 
jail as far back as 1867. Of the present inmates of con- 
victed murderers, in the year 1889, was one '-Spike Mur- 
phy," for the cowardly murder of an old citizen, Waterman 
Irons, of Providence. Murphy was doing his allotted task of 
shoemaking. A tall, healthy-looking young man, with an 
intelligent countenance, and far from a desperate look about 
him, though very sinewy in form. 

In the hospital ward, of southern aspect, the bright sun 
was streaming in, as if to cheer the convalescent patients 
with its rays, and numerous plants and shrubs in the corri- 
dor lent their aid to alleviate, if possible, the gloomy sur- 
roundings. Pacing the floor was one of the sick men, with 
bandages swathed around his neck, whose throat some 
months ago had been severely cut by a fellow-prisoner, in 



K>4 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

a desperate quarrel ; the assailant hanging himself a few days 
afterwards in his cell. 

Three tiers of cells, oblong in dimension, of twenty-six 
cells each side, give accommodation for three hundred and 
forty men, that being the number during my visit in Feb- 
ruary, 1890. 

In consequence of the increase of crime in Rhode Island, 
a proposed new wiug is to be added in one of the court-yards,, 
as the prison is overcrowded at present, which fact does not 
speak very well for our boasted civilization of the nineteenth 
century, though the kind-hearted resident chaplain tries his- 
best efforts of good counsel to the misguided criminals. 
As far as possible, comfort and cleanliness are everywhere 
visible ; fortnightly every prisoner has a warm bath, in one of 
the twelve bath-tubs, taking the entire day for the three 
hundred men to get through the ablution. 

The system of drying the prisoners' underwear, socks, 
etc., by steam, when the weather is too inclement outside, is 
quite a novel affair, as well as their patent washing and wring- 
ing machines. The food, which we inspected and tasted,, 
appeared good and well cooked. On the parapet of the high 
wall surrounding the jail-yard are stationed two armed offi- 
cers, who constantly patrol and overlook all the prison 
yards, and any prisoner attempting to escape runs the 
chance of being shot Cows, pigs, and horses, well housed 
in their barns, are ready for their needful services on the 
farm when required. 

Not far distant from Cranston Jail is the State Farm, 
chietly for inmates for small offences and habitual drunk- 
ards of both sexes ; and the Reform School, well known 
for refractory boys and girls, during their minority^ We 
were informed some seven hundred acres of available 
arable land for farming purposes is connected with these 
institutions. 

Gen. Viall is the chief warden of the State Prison, who, 
together with a deputy warden, clerk, and chaplain, and 
seventeen officers, complete the official staff of this abode of 
durance vile. 

Methought, on looking down from the upper prison win- 
dows into the peaceful ravine below, along the Pawtuxet 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 105 

Valley, and viewing the windings of the Providence River on 
that sunny, breezy day, what a strange anomaly is man, with 
his fierce, ungovernable passions, immured as some are for 
their natural life ; and the contrast of beautiful, animated 
Nature of the outside world going on. within sight of the 
grim stone jail, makes one ruminate on men and women's 
wrong-doing, enough to blast their lives here and hereafter. 

The Cable-Car Road, Providence. 

For many mouths of the year 1889, gangs of workmen 
have been busy, excavating, digging, and delving, to con- 
struct a cable-car road from AJarket Square to the Red 
Bridge district; and early this year, 1*90, after many delays 
of complicated work, the company's cars carry passengers 
from Olneyville by the horse-car conveyance to Market 
Square ; the horses are then unhitched and the car and pas- 
sengers attached to the grip car, and at the sound of the 
gong, dart up College Hill at a pace that would have sur- 
prised our forefathers, passing along College, Angel, and 
Prospect streets at a fairly rapid rate of locomotion. The 
system seems to work well ; the powerful brakes on down 
grade, having to be managed by a man in each car, stop 
without much oscillation. On reaching the termini, near 
the Red Bridge, the commodious red brick building and 
works are inspected ; the immense fly-wheel, which is the 
main power to propel the cars, has ten cables on its drum, 
and the steam engine that works the machinery must be very 
powerful. The return journey is made with a little devia- 
tion, through Waterman Street to Market Square. The cost of 
the mile and a half of road is said to be two hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars. This popular, cheap ride, through some of 
the best localities to the Seekonk River, is much patronized, 
and thoroughly enjoyed by the thousands of passengers dur- 
ing the fine weather as a breezy, pleasant outing from the 
citv. 



106 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



Railway String Teams of Horses, Providence. 

Visitors and townspeople of Providence, in their various 
journeyings to and from the railway depot, Exchange Place, 
may have often observed that some of the freight cars drawn 
by horses are transferred from the main lines to spur lines 
of rails across Market Square to Canal and Dyer streets, 
also to Fox Point, Riverside, en route to different fruit, fish, 
and meat warehouses. A string team, generally composed 
of seven to eight horses, is attached to the freight cars, and 
the driver's voice is invariably the guiding rein. A sagacious 




Wi "^ftS 









and docile leader takes his quadruped companions safely 
along the route, and it is surprising with what sagacity these 
really fine horses go about their work in such a business-like 
manner. For fifteen years has the writer noticed these and 
similar string teams in the service of the railway company, 
and the Messrs. Weaver & Sons, contractors and owners 
of these valuable animals, are to be complimented on their 
strong-looking horses, and their general good condition. The 
illustration is drawn with great fidelity, in the sketch of the 
string team and cars, which the wayfarer can see any day 
on the above-mentioned routes, the knowing old leader shak- 
ing his fine, saucy head with pride (as it were), on being 



EAMBLES IN AMERICA. 107 

selected as the foremost horse and sort of " boss " over the 
other seven animals. 

The Cemeteries of New England. 

The burial-grounds of New England are rich in historic 
interest. " One of the attractive places for antiquarians to 
visit," says David A. Waldron,- in the Narraganset Historical 
Register, " is the old cemetery in the village of Little 
Compton, R. I. Among the dusts of once noted personages 
is here found that of the first white woman born in New 
England, Elizabeth Pabodie (daughter of John Alden and 
Priscilla Mullins), who died May 31, 1717, at the age of 
ninety-six. The Commons, as this plot is called, is not 
kept in the best of condition, but over the grave, in the year 
1882, was erected a granite monument, on one of the plaques 
of which is a suitable inscription concerning the one whose 
remains it covers. The following stanza is on the opposite 
side of the obelisk : — 

" 'A bud from Plymouth's Mayflower springs, 
Transplanted here to live and bloom ; 
Her memory, ever sweet and young, 
The centuries guard within this tomb.' 

" Her husband, William Pabodie, who died Dec. 13, 1707, 
at the age of eighty-eight years, rests beside her." 

The Falstaff Club. 

This organization was started by a few friends, early in 
the year 1890, at Providence Cit}', for the purpose of uniting 
amusement with recreation and instruction. About fifty 
persons (limited number), mostly young men, formed them- 
selves into a club, to meet fortnightly on Saturday evenings, 
in a well-appointed hall, where recitations, singing, instru- 
mental music, conversation on varied topics of the day. and 
a supper of light viands and refreshments are the order of 
the evening. The Falstaff Club is ably presided over by a 
competent president, assisted by two vice-presidents, a sec- 
retary, and various committees, elected from time to time, and 
carry on the business with a code of rules or by-laws. This 



108 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

company of gentlemen reminds one somewhat of descrip- 
tions by famous writers of Old London in times past ; when 
rare Ben Jonson, Oliver Goldsmith, Boswell, Sir Joshua 
Lawrence, Sir Peter Lely, and many other celebrities, liter- 
ary and artistic, used to meet in some cosey hostel, to ex- 
change wit and repartee, and talk over the events of their 
day, politics alone being excluded. The more modern club 
of Falstaffanians are mainly composed of the artists of 
Messrs. Gorham's celebrated sterling silver-ware establish- 
ment. As an agreeable evening spent amongst gentlemen 
of culture, art, refinement, and literary tendencies, allow a 
member (the writer of these pages) to chronicle the gather- 
ings, thus assembled every two weeks, as an event eagerly 
looked forward to with much interest and pleasure. In the 
summer months of the club, picnics and pleasant outings 
take place on the Providence River and picturesque Paw- 
tuxet waters, and an occasional moonlight sail on the bay. 
in which lady friends will join with their charming presence 
the boating, dancing, and general good time we have there. 
May every success attend this new association of the Fal- 
staff Club. 

Hunt's Mills, East Providence Centre. 

In this locality, situated in the midst of a ravine, with a 
grove on either side, runs the streamlet from Hebronville 
and neighboring tributaries, and after passing the dam at 
Hunt's .Mills, the gurgling, leaping waters play in eddies 
over and around the innumerable boulders that almost fill 
the river's bed like a breakwater. To a lover of Nature, 
nothing can be more picturesque and sublime in its grandeur 
than looking from the edge of the stream between the over- 
hanging trees, some touching each other in Uieir umbrageous 
embrace, with the sun's rays peeping in and out of the foliage 
far away to the miniature cataract, and watching the leaps 
and dashes of the glistening rapids as they hurry away to 
the placid ten-mile stream that empties itself of its puny 
wrath into the Seekonk River, near the Red Bridge. At 
Hebronville. a spring (it is said) begins and gathers in 
strength and velocity from the adjacent tributaries, aided by 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 109 

occasional copious rains, and at length swells into quite a 
water-fall of some importance when it reaches Hunt's Mills 
(apparently now an old, disused grain building). It is no 
surprise that artists and photographers often frequent this 
secluded spot to transfer on canvas, or otherwise, such imita- 
tions as it is possible to gain. A pathway takes the tourist 
iu the grove to all points of interest, and the subdued light, 
with the distant roaring of the avalanche breaking on the 
stillness, gives quite a charm to the locality. Near the 
smoother portion of the waters was a huge tree, hurled from 
its roots directly across the stream, as much as to say, 
'•Thus far, but no farther, you may go." But the eddies 
and bubbles laugh at the obstruction, and whirl under and 
over the trunk and branches in very sport. In the summer 
season picnic parties assemble here in force, and try to 
echo their voices louder than the roar of the cataract, as the 
waters dash, leap, and form themselves into rapids over the 
big, rocky boulders standing high out of the river's bed. 
Situated in this neighborhood, some excellent farms and 
orchards are to be seen. 

Ice-Cutting. 

This is an interesting and very necessary occupation in 
the United States ; besides which, in Massachusetts, at least, 
ice has become an important article of export, and the trade 
is now quite large to the Southern States, West Indies, and 
different parts of Europe. Hiding in a sleigh about twelve 
miles out of Boston to a crystal lake, the process of cutting 
the ice is thus effected : the upper crust, or inferior ice, is 
planed off by a machine drawn by horses, after which the 
fragments are cleared away by an apparatus like a scoop, 
also drawn by horses. The surface thus pared is clear and 
glassy, ready for the markers, who draw a line with a sharp 
instrument, to indicate the dimensions of the blocks to be 
cut. which are then sawed, until the same are almost severed, 
when a broad, flat-faced crowbar is used to divide them. 
The squares are floated into a small canal (cut for the pur- 
pose) passed on to the ice-houses, and hauled up into the 
buildings by steam power. The houses in which the ice 



110 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

is deposited consist of a range of lofty buildings of large 
dimensions, and necessarily, also, of great height, owing to 
the many blocks therein contained. The process of stow- 
ing these blocks is very peculiar ; they are laid one layer over 
another, and the interstices filled with snow, so as to make 
a compact mass, and then covered with tan, in such a way 
that the whole remains perfectly cold and solid till the following 
summer. The immense trade done in this way would sur- 
prise a stranger ; yet when it is considered that every house- 
keeper is compelled, by reason of the great heat in summer, 
to make use of this valuable commodity, it is no wonder that 
it becomes so profitable an article of trade. Ice-cutting 
seems like cold work to the casual looker-on, yet the work- 
men are always stripped to the shirt, and appear bathed in 
perspiration. The after effects, though, are sometimes dis- 
astrous ; for one of the workmen whom we saw fell into a 
stupor, as he returned home (the effect of cold after heat), 
rested on the wayside to sleep, and never woke again. 

Sleigh-Riding. 

•The cold weather and sleigh-riding to some are very enjoy- 
able, but not to the writer ; the cold is so intense, that care 
must be taken, or else the nose and ears will be frost-bitten. 
The cold, bracing air (if you can stand it) is highly salubri- 
ous, and the health of the inhabitants is, generally speaking, 
far better and stronger in winter than summer. The snow- 
storms at times are very violent, and drifting in a night some 
eight or ten feet. Sleigh riding and driving is to most per- 
sons a peculiarly pleasant and exciting amusement. The 
silent smoothness with which the runners dash through the 
snow, the internal ease and comfort of the conveyance, the 
gay trappings of the one or more horses that draw, and the 
numerous sleighs one meets, with fast-trotting steeds, nil 
contribute to give an indescribable charm to this favorite 
winter recreation. Ladies are especially seen to great ad- 
vantage, while employed in this agreeable mode of travel- 
ling, for their well-assorted wintry costumes become them 
very prettily ; while their merry, ringing laugh sounds full 
of life and vivacity, and the clear atmosphere fanning their 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. Ill 

cheeks gives the countenance an air of charming naivete, and 
paints their complexion with the roseate hue of blooming 
health. 

It is a merry time, this season of sleigh-riding in the 
United States ; every person's animal spirits seem unusually 
light and elastic ; and sometimes companies of twenty cou- 
ples, of both sexes, are collected to fill a gigantic sleigh, 
drawn by six horses. Then it is, when all are snugly en- 
sconced with lap robes and wraps, that, as the poet says : — 

" Obsequious to their call, the docile steeds 
Yield to the sleigh their necks, and whirl them swift, 
The joy-hells tinkling as they whirl along, 
O'er hill and dale, heaped into one expanse 
Of marbled snow, as far as eye can sweep, 
With a blue crust of ice unbounded glazed." 

In this case, it is usual to drive to a distant hotel, where, 
after a merry dance or cheerful chat and singing, they par- 
take of a well-served supper, and then return home by 
moonlight, in their swift conveyance. 

Before closing this sketch of wintry pastime, we may add 
that of coasting, by boys and girls. If ever there was a dan- 
gerous practice on this earth, allowed by the police, it is 
this dangerous racing down slippery inclines, with primitive 
small and large sleds. Every winter has its catalogue of 
misery, in regard to bruised limbs, and often fatal accidents 
happening on streets, where passing teams come in collision 
with the adventurous voungsters, maiming them for life. 



American Religion ; its Observances. 

" The seas shall waste, the skies in smoke decay, 
Rocks fall to dust, and mountains melt away; 
But fixed His word, His saving power remains ; 
Thy realm forever lasts, thy own Messiah reigns." — Pope. 

In no country in the world, perhaps, is there such a 
splitting of sects, in the Christian Church, as in the United 
States, where Episcopalians, Independents, Presbyterians, 
Baptists, Wesleyans, Moravians, Adventists, Unitarians, 
Universalists, New Jerusalemites, Quakers, Mormonites, 
Spiritualists, Salvationists, and many other sects, scarcely 
known by name outside of this continent, such as the Me n 



112 GAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

nonites, Shakers, etc., have a substantive existence, and 
large bodies of church members ; and sad is sometimes the 
contention that arises from the perfect liberty of religion, 
ami its total severment from the business of the State. In 
the Presbyterian, Congregational, Baptist, Wesleyan, and 
Unitarian churches the mode of worship is as simple as 
possible ; the prayers are delivered extemporaneously, and 
differ, therefore, on every occasion, a circumstance which 
some consider to give them an advantage over the slated, for- 
mal prayers of other denominations, which deal, they say, in 
vain repetitions, that make little impression on the heart, 
and sul stitute the form and the letter that killeth for the 
spirit that giveth life. The interiors of American churches 
— or meeting-houses — have a very comfortable look, with 
their cushioned seats and carpeted floors ; the former, with 
the hassocks, being provided by the church authorities, in 
order to preserve uniformity, and avoid that hybrid appear- 
ance which is so common in many of the European churches, 
where yellow, green, red, and blue cushion seats offend the 
eye. 

The Boston and New York churches, in some respects, 
are beautifully constructed, as regards their interior archi- 
tecture, are very lofty, and provided with excellent organs 
and well-trained choirs, engaged and paid for the purpose. 
In the country churches the service is, of course, much more 
simple, and the quality of the singing must depend on the 
resources of the neighborhood ; but we can safely say that 
in many country towns, church music is to be heard quite as 
good as in some of the large cities. It were, perhaps, invid- 
ious to single out for eulogy any particular clergyman, in 
a country that has so many talented, faithful, and devoted 
servants of the Most High. 

The clergy, :is a class, seem to be faithful workers, many 
of them having risen from the ranks, and almost self-edu- 
cated men. and imbued with deep fervor, high talent, and im- 
pressiveness. Some of their illustrations are very pathetic, 
their admonitions so affectionate, their concern for immortal 
souls so evidently sincere, that it is no wonder that they win 
the hearts, and often are the instruments, under heaven, of 
changing the lives of those who come under their influence. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 1 11 



Meriden, Conn. 



Probably no town or city in the Union, for its size, has 
more self-made men than Meriden. From a comparative 
swamp of thirty years ago, it has now become a prosperous, 
growing city of more than twenty-five thousand inhabitants, 
most of which people are chiefly occupied in the manufactur- 
ing interest of hard and soft metal ware, the greater number 
of the employees being artisans earning good wages ; also 
many female workers who are very talented in their various 
avocations, commanding in some instances excellent remu- 
neration for their industry. Many are the names that have 
arisen to the foremost rank of fortune in this busy town. 
Meriden is the highway to New York, being about two hours 
and a half steam-car ride to the great metropolis; and all 
through trains from Boston and other points stop here, mak- 
ing it quite a lively place. On a recent visit to Meriden. we 
found the busy city much altered and improved ; a large pas- 
senger station, opposite the extensive works of the Meriden 
Britannia Company (on the model of the New Haven depot), 
meets the eye of the visitor, which greatly facilitates the in- 
creasing demands of traffic, and adds much to the comfort 
of travellers in the spacious waiting-rooms ; an improved 
contrast, compared to the dingy ticket-office of years ago. 
A long, roomy freight depot has also been erected, to meet 
the numerous wants in that branch of business, and quite 
a lofty, sightly hotel has been built within a few years ; also 
a new, spacious post-office, in the rear of which is a modern, 
commodious theatre, all in the same structure ; Colony 
Street can boast of a substantial granite Congregational 
church, erected during the author's four pleasant years' so- 
journ in sociable Meriden some time since. In fact, impos- 
ing blocks of new buildings are springing up everywhere, 
with handsome stores, fitted with plate-glass windows, giving 
quite an air of business prosperity and bright, animated look 
to the old town. The people of Meriden are very courteous 
to a stranger, as a rule, and endeavor to make every one 
welcome ; the hospitable character of the inhabitants is 
known far and wide, and workmen once located in this city 
seldom leave it, unless unforeseen circumstances compel them 



114 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

to do so ; even then, the old feeling of wishing to return 
oftentimes haunts the minds of the absent, for a renewal of 
the friendly intercourse of years ago. On the upper portion 
of the town are some fine views of the " Blue Hills" range, 
from which, in clear weather, can be seen Long Island Sound 
and other places. 

"Mount Lamentation" and the adjacent hills, in fair 
weather, have a beautiful tinge of color of bright blue, but on 
the approach of a storm, the color changes to a sullen-look- 
ing, ominous gray, and at other times enveloped in a misty 
vapor. A visit to the " Blue Hills" is always a charming 
walk or climb, and with a party of picnickers some hours 
can be agreeably spent, one thousand feet above the level of 
the sea ; a sharp lookout for snakes is necessary in this re- 
gion, where the brush and underwood is most dense, for in 
certain seasons the place used to abound with the reptiles, 
though most are of the black snake species, without the 
dangerous poison venom or warning rattle. 

The Connecticut State Reform School., situated inMeriden, 
is one of the best conducted in the country. The buildings are 
located on a commanding eminence, in full view of the New 
York, Hartford & New Haven Railroad, overlooking the city 
and surrounding country, and presenting one of the fin- 
est landscape views to be seen in the vicinity. The admin- 
istration of the school, on 'the part of the State, is vested in a 
board of eight trustees, one from each county in the State, 
elected for four years. Two of them are retired each year, 
and their places tilled by the Senate in executive session. 
The trustees elect superintendent and other officers. Next 
to the superintendent, one would imagine, is the farmer of 
the State farm, surrounding the school, as this officer has to 
keep a watchful eye on his assistants (the reform I toys). 
some of whom work on the land, while others learn trades in 
the workrooms, and though occasionally some of these farm- 
boys prove runaways, yet the} r are invariably re-captured, 
and return very penitent to school. 

The interior of all the buildings is most cleanly, and the 
chapel service is conducted very orderly and with decorum, as 
the discipline, though not outwardly severe, shows firmness 
by those in authority. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 115 

Occasionally some of the best behaved of the boys are 
taken to concerts at the Young Men's Christian Association, 
in charge of an officer, and the little fellows seem to enjoy 
their treat. These reform schools are a great credit to the 
State in which they belong, in endeavoring to uplift the 
wayward and vicious boy to be a good citizen. 

The Trotting Park. 

About a mile from the city limits is a good trotting-park, 
in which is held its annual agricultural fair, with a general av- 
erage showing of cattle raising. At the trotting and running 
races are usually seen some fast horses on these grounds ; 
also at other times in the season, when matches are made by 
citizens of Meriden to back their trotters against all comers, 
as the city magnates are well-known owners of some good, 
fleet animals. A grand stand of ample size is on the giound, 
where visitors can see all around the track. Some seasons 
ago a party of Mexican horsemen came to this park to ex- 
hibit their skill and prowess on their mustang ponies, and 
certainly such rapid and skilful riding in all manner of posi- 
tions was truly wonderful ; particularly so, when one looked 
at the poor, half-starved, ill-groomed animals ; but when the 
word * l off" was given, away went the mustangs like the 
wind, running around the track, the riders occasionally lean- 
ing head downwards, and in other grotesque and difficult 
postures this band of Mexican horsemen paraded before us. 
These performers had also a game of polo on horseback and 
on foot ; both games were played with great rapidity of ac- 
tion, and with the appearance of some little danger in riding 
one another down in the excitement of the contest. During 
the agricultural fair of 18<s9 the show of cattle on these 
grounds was said to be the finest of its kind, but the fair was 
much marred by stormy weather. 

There is an old tradition that the name Merriden, or Mer- 
iden, is compounded of two words, " Merry " and " den" ; 
and that in an old stone house built in that locality there 
were so many merry meetings of travellers, that the place 
acquired the nickname of " Merry-den." At or before the 
union of the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven, there 



116 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

was a, grant made to Mr. Andrew Belcher of a tract of land, 
containing nearly live hundred acres, on condition of bis 
building a stone house or fort, with port-holes, and keeping 
arms and ammunition. With the land he was to have the 
right of keeping a tavern forever The stone house stood 
not far from the late residence of Mr. John Yale, in the 
northern part of the town. 

The Reservoir, at Meriden, Conn. 

The visitor to Meriden may find an interesting excursion 
by taking the road to ' k The Notch," between West and 
South Mountains. For the purpose of supplying the city of 
Meriden with water, a lake or reservoir has been formed, a 
mile in length, in this gorge. The reseivoir has an area of 
seventy-seven and one halfacr.es, and derives its waters from 
the drainage of the various declivities. The peaceful, still- 
ness of the lake, lying amid woods in this mountain defile, 
used to be broken by the occasional fishing parlies, who 
would make the grand old place echo with their voices and 
laughter, and serve another purpose by scaring the snakes 
away which might be lying in ambush for the unwary. 
Many times have the writer and his friends visited this 
charming locality ; the quiet and serenity of the scene gave 
us the idea that we were far removed from the haunts of 
men, instead of being so near to the busy hives of industry 
on the plains just below. 

Cathole Pass, at Meriden, Conn. 

The narrator of these pages having often walked and 
driven through this defile of Nature's handiwork, will offer a 
description thereof. The tourist will find great attraction 
over the Kensington road to the long, narrow Cathole Gap, 
or Pass, between South Mountain and Cathole eminence, and 
fancy at times find a profile of Washington in the outline on 
the highest pinnacle of mountain view. The Cap is cut ob- 
Liquely by gorges, and hence its succession of 'summits; the 
slopes of fallen stones that descend from the heights to the 
valley originally met at the bottom, where many of the large 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 117 

masses lay piled in heaps ; and the Cathole Pass, once so 
difficult of travel under Nature's formation, thus merited its 
name. There is now a good carriage road through it. 

The view from the more southern aspect, over the Meriden 
region, embraces the far-away hills and dales of verdant 
country and the rivers flowing to Long Island Sound, and 
is one of great beauty. The grand pile of rocks at the bot- 
tom of the celebrated Cathole Pass, derived from the heights 
above, suggests motion and violence ; yet the boulders of 
moss-covered gray and green look quiet enough in their sub- 
lime repose, though the work of falling blocks is still going 
quietly on at intervals, and will continue as long as storms 
and Nature's elements displace the huge fragments from 
their rocky beds. 

'• You can train the eye to see all the bright places in life, 
And so slip over the hard ones with surprising ease ; 
You can also train the eye to rest on the gloomy spots, 
In utter forgetfulness of all that is bright and beautiful." 



The Tornado at WaHingford, Conn. 

While residing in Meriden, some year* ago, the mind re- 
calls the terrible tornado that took place in the adjacent 
town of Wallingford. Such a devastation and destruction of 
human life and property by the mysterious whirlwind was 
most appalling. In two or three minutes, without warning, 
the tornado swept over the doomed little city, breaking, 
crushing, and hurling the frail tenement houses like so many 
match-boxes ; also, a brick-built school-house came in for its 
share of demolition. Twenty- four little mounds of earth 
were seen a few days after the dreadful calamity, in the 
churchyard near by, — a mute and sad memento of the vis- 
itation. The deluge of rain and darkening sky accompanied 
the cyclone around and about Connecticut that fatal even- 
ing. Though the grief, bereavement, and suffering of that 
terrible Avhirlwind will be felt in the desolate hearts and 
homes for many years to come, yet generous, helping hands 
assisted to restore the wrecked town by bountiful subscrip- 
tions, to aid the wounded citizens at that lamentable time, 



118 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

so that now not a vestige is to be seen of the sad havoc of 
that dreadful calamity which invaded the peaceful hamlet of 
Wallingf'ord. 

New Britain, Conn. 

A pleasant ride of some few miles from Meriden, through 
villages of farming land and the pretty township of Kensing- 
ton, brings one to the clean, cosey city of New Britain, 
numbering about fifteen thousand inhabitants, the most of 
whom are engaged in the extensive hardware trade carried 
on here by eminent firms. The most noticeable is Russell 
& Erwin's large establishment, noted for first-class bronze 
metal and iron ware, the newest and choicest designs of or- 
namental locks and butts, and other useful articles. The 
Messrs. Corbin likewise do a large business in fine hardware 
goods. 

Aliout two and a half miles from the city proper is a sheet 
of water called " .Shuttle Meadow Lake," in the summer 
season much frequented by all classes. The narrator has en- 
joyed, with friends, some pleasant hours in fishing from its 
shores, and also from a row-boat moored in a sequestred 
nook, where the placid waters heave gently to and fro in 
their calm repose. This lake is a popular rendezvous for 
picnics in fine weather, the German element generally taking 
tbe lead in these gatherings, and oftentimes have the glee- 
clubs of this happy race been heard across ''Shuttle 
Meadow " in their vocal festive reunions, as they sang innu- 
merable wild, weird songs of their fatherland. 

In the centre of New Britain is an enclosure, or small 
park, prettily laid out, and planted with trees and shrubs ; 
also embellished with a large fountain, the cool, splashing 
waters of which gave a very refreshing look on a hot day 
From the hotel parlor, opposite the "Green,'' we have 
oftentimes enjoyed the quiet of eventide, as the shadowy 
twilight has flickered, wavered, and then vanished for the 
day. The reservoir on Walnut Hill is a favorite resort of 
New Britain people and visitors to the town, where, on a 
clear day, the gilt dome of the Hartford State House is quite 
discernible ; also many other distant places of interest. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 119 

A feature of this town is the unusually large size of the 
yards and gardens belonging to the houses, most of which 
are kept in excellent order by the thrifty owners. In the 
north part of the city is the new opera house, a marked 
improvement on the old barn-like theatre, and near the 
" Green" is a tall, stately block of buildings, with modern- 
built post-office, erected within a few years, and other ad- 
vanced strides of progress, such as a much-needed want, 
that of a new, modern, spacious depot, with lengthened 
platform, in lieu of the primitive wayside sort of station ; 
a freight depot has also been added, of increased dimen- 
sions, to meet the wants of increasing traffic. 

New Britain has several large churches, presided over 
by eminent divines, and many Sabbaths have been enjoyed 
by the writer in these sacred edifices during his twelve- 
months' stay in the town ; and in the pleasant drives of the 
outlying districts, in company with friends, many recollec- 
tions spring up of past years with treasured memory. 

Not far distant from the Strickland House was (and may 
still be there) the old homestead of the late Mr. Elihu Bur- 
riit, linguist, writer, and scholar. The aged gentleman was 
much endeared to his old home, and in his later days could 
be seen in his garden, quietly ruminating on all (perhaps) 
that was past and gone, " calmly awaiting the end of his 
valued life. A school-house adjoining is named after the 
scholarly gentleman, a fitting emblem of remembrance to be 
handed down to future generations. 

Battle-flag Day, at Hartford, Conn. 

The good city of Hartford never counted so many persons 
as it did on the memorable day of placing the flags (in the 
new State capitol) taken from the enemy during the Civil 
War, and their own battered but honored standards. From 
early morn till noon, cars loaded with citizen soldiers came 
from all parts of the Northern States, to do honor and 
respect to this great event. The streets were thronged with 
holiday sight-seers, and the various mottoes and devices of 
welcome were everywhere ; the streamers flying in the wind 
and the bands of music playing made it a day long to be 



120 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

remembered. The procession of soldiers and civil authori- 
ties was of immense length, which took some time to pass 
by, and as the day was a very hot one, kind neighbors fur- 
nished lemonade and other light refreshments for the weary 
men on the march in the noonday sun. Gen. Hawley, 
assisted by numerous military aids, was the marshal of the 
day, and the governor of Connecticut and his staff were in 
attendance at the State capitoi to assist in receiving the flags 
— those liattered tokens of bravery, hardship, and military 
strife. As each regiment marched past, and deposited their 
color in the hands of those appointed to receive it, the bands 
in attendance saluted by a roll of drums in its honor and 
memory, dimming the eyes of many a veteran of the Grand 
Army Corps on the ground : brave men. who had fought 
hard, and gave their sons' best blood to save the old flag, 
anil save the severance of the Union. 

The Capitol Park was a very animated scene on that day, 
and was literally tilled with soldiers and people, all bent upon 
having a good time; and many were the old stories told 
over again, of how hard-fought battles were lost and won, 
and the hardships, privations, and sufferings at Bull's Run, 
Gettysburg, and other blood-stained battle-fields were re- 
counted again and again to old cronies, separated for years. 
but brought together to-day from distant States, in company 
with the few of their old comrades left. All were at the 
>tcps of the magnificent capitoi to bow their uncovered heads 
as the salute sounded once more to a torn and battered Hag 
which was to be sacredly taken care of and revered within the 
capitoi walls. 

It was a grand time, this storing of the battle-flags, and it 
was joyful and sorrowful to witness those brave olficers and 
men, all intermingling and fraternizing after long times of 
separation in their different localities and avocations of life, 
once more brought together, perhaps for the last time, as 
many were aged and bowed in form ; but all stood erect, 
when the rataplan gave a salute to the next honorable, 
bullet-shotten, torn standard, that faintly fluttered in the 
wind, an emblem of the brave hearts that stood around, 
also tottering and worn from exposure at that fatiguing time 
of strife, and from intirmi'ies of age ; but still all were able 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 121 

to bold up their heads and march homeward at the last 
roll of drums, with the proud consciousness of having done 
their duty at the call of a nation's honor in jeopardy. 

The State Capitol at Hartford. 

The magnificent capitol, on its rising ground, seemed to 
gain renewed splendor from the associations of the day, as 
the battle-flags were carefully deposited in their final resting- 
place, as sacredly as if it was a friend being put away to 
his last earthly resting-place. Any one of my readers, 
passing through Hartford, should pay the State capitol and 
park grounds a visit; the building is a superior one, both 
interior and exterior. The House of Representatives and 
the Senate Chamber are as finely equipped, as to comfort 
and elegance, as any on this continent; there are some 
chaste interior decorations, both figure and ornamental : the 
floors are made of tesselated pavement, and are beautiful in 
the extreme. Taken altogether, the edifice is as commodious 
as it is elegant, and the Hartford citizens may well be proud 
of their really fine public building, while the whole State of 
Connecticut may justly be proud of its capitol. The lofty 
dome of the structure is seen to great advantage in the park, 
and the stone carvings of the exterior command attention to 
its merit as fine work of the sculptor's chisel. 

Wethersfield Prison, near Hartford, Conn. 

On a warm, balmy day of June, 1879, the writer, in com- 
pany with a friend, visited the above-named prison for the 
State of Connecticut. The courteous warden showed us 
through this abode of the convicted. On a rack in a corner 
of the anteroom was a file of loaded muskets, for the use of 
the officials in case of riot or attempted escape of the pris- 
oners confined within. Also to be seen are numerous imple- 
ments used by house-breakers and burglars, such as gags, 
skeleton keys, etc, and the pistol (a small one) is pointed 
out as the weapon that fired the shot which killed the keeper, 
Shipman, by Hamblin and Allen ; both were then awaiting 



122 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

execution for that murder ; eventually, one was hanged, and 
the other confined in prison for life ; though the primary 
mover and tempter of the wicked deed, and unfaithful watch- 
man, was allowed to live his life-sentence. 

The cells or sleeping places of the convicts are very 
small, but scrupulously clean, and run in corridors of four 
tiers ; each row of cells has a spring bar, which is let down 
and closes all the key-holes of that range, when the prison- 
ers have retired for the night, so that no false keys can be 
used till the spring bar has been removed. 

All along the entire length of the building is stout stove 
piping on either side, warmed by two very large coal-fires, 
even in that warm June weather, the air being obliged to 
"be kept up to a good temperature, to prevent dampness ris- 
ing to the walls. 

The number of male prisoners lodged in the cells every 
night was two hundred and sixty-one ; the female convicts 
(located in a distant part of the building) numbered but six. 
We may here mention that a small force of seventeen officers, 
all told, appeared a very inadequate strength to control, in 
the event of a surprise or mutiny, so large a body of law- 
less men, many of whom had the reputation of having been 
most desperate characters. The bread, molasses, soups, and 
other kinds of food shown us appeared very excellent in qual- 
ity, of which an ample supply is allotted to each inmate. 

Passing on to the workshops, we found convicts of all 
ages, from the almost boy to the white-headed old man, 
each busily engaged in the occupation of shoemaking in its 
various branches, under the direction of paid instructors, and 
likewise under supervision of officers perched on raised seats 
or small platforms ; the prison rules not permitting prisoners 
to talk with each other, neither to raise their eyes to look at 
visitors. In one of these shops (it being his first day at 
work) was the convict Bishop; his wan face, attenuated 
form, and dejected mien spoke volumes of the hopeless, 
inward suffering appertaining to a life-sentence for wife- 
murder by poisoning. The escape from execution of this 
man is one of the many strange acts of clemency often por- 
trayed by the law authorities of the State of Connecticut. 

In all stages of shoemaking these busy criminals work 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 123 

their ten hours per day, retiring to their cells to bed, and 
possibly to forgetfulness, at a quarter to eight, evenings ; 
rising to sound of a bell at a quarter to six, mornings ; 
thence to prayers, afterwards to breakfast and the day's 
labor. Such is the ordinary daily life of the Wethersfleld 
convict, in its miserable routine ; and we ma} T mention, 
whenever any prisoners meet visitors in the corridors, the 
convicts invariably turn their faces to the wall, and remain 
in th'it position till the company have passed ; such are the 
stringent rules. 

Various small articles, such as tooth-picks, paper-knives, 
and watch-charms, made from ivory or bone, are for sale, 
manufactured by the convicts in their leisure hours, the goods 
thus sold being for the benefit of those who made them. 

Crossing a large, grassy court-yard, we observed a senti- 
nel on duty at the top of its high walls, pacing up and down 
an enclosed sort of room, watching every prisoner's move- 
ment as he crosses the jail-yard ; and woe be to the unlucky 
man who would be rash enough to try for liberty, for a shot 
from the pointed rifle would speedily end the criminal's mis- 
eries. 

How gloriously the sun shone that day in the grassy court- 
yard, but the rays, as the}' danced in and out of the windows 
of the workshops, must have appeared as a mockery to those 
pale-faced workers within, in the hopelessness of their 
drudging life, in expiation of deeds dreadful to think of in 
this age of enlightenment. What a strange catalogue of 
crime presents itself here ; men, women, and youths, many 
of whom, perhaps, in earlier years had a good example at 
home, now by their desperate and wayward deeds are brought 
to this pass. Perpetrators of all degrees of crime are here : 
murderers for money, slayers of wives in fiendish passion, 
through drinking or jealousy, burglars, coiners, forgers, and 
the worst of all, the premeditated plotter and poisoner, the 
last named of whom we will touch as lightly as we can, as it 
refers to a woman. 

Mrs. Cobb (the poisoner of her husband), when we were 
shown into her room, was industriously sewing, in company 
with Mrs. Alexander, of Bridgeport diabolical notoriety, and 
another female criminal. A lady keeper arose as we entered, 



124 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

but Mrs. Cobb perseveringly averted her face from us, and 
kept her head down to her work. She appeared a woman of 
robust health, strong and vigorous in form, — a decided con- 
trast to her guilty paramour, Bishop. Mrs. Cobb has to do 
her share of washing, ironing, and sewing, and other menial 
work, the livelong day. 

Naturally a feeling of compassion arises for this or any 
other woman in such a degraded state, doomed to drag out a 
lifelong sentence, as it were, in a living tomb, with the dread- 
ful thought always in mind of the heinous crime of husband 
poisoning ; the torture of accusing conscience, preying by 
night and day, must be punishment, indeed, for that crimi- 
nal intimacy with her convicted companion, Bishop. That 
a final ending to such lives, so terribly fraught with misery 
and woe, would be a welcome, one could imagine, to the 
miserable, misguided, and guilty pair. 

On leaving the gloomy portals of this State Prison, one 
thought possessed us, that of relief to breathe the pure air of 
heaven once more outside of its frowning walls, and to 
ponder how differently the fates of those within might have 
been, had their headlong passions not have lost their balance 
of good against evil, and to have inculcated in their minds 
the good precepts of the Redeemer's guidance by leading a 
righteous, calm, and godly life, so that the anguish of many 
a broken heart would have been avoided, and many a lost 
soul saved ! Well might the poet say of these unfortunate 
criminals, whose penitence was sincere : — 

" Stone walls do not a prison make, 
Nor iron bars a cage ; 
Minds innocent and quiet take 

That lor an hermitage. 
If I have freedom in my love, 

And in my soul am free, 
Angels alone, that soar above, 
Enjoy such liberty." 

— Richard Lovelace. 

The Lady of the Rock, Connecticut. 

The legend of this little story is founded on fact ; history 
telling us, in all veracity, of the trials, troubles, and vicissi- 
tudes of a noble-hearted lady, named Alice Heath, who, with 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 125 

her young husband and her father, fled from Great Britain 
to Connecticut, New England. America, endeavoring to find 
a refuge from the relentness pursuit instigated against them 
by the emissaries of Charles II. of England, for the part 
that this young lady's father and husband played, as two of 
the judges who assisted at the trial of the unfortunate king 
Charles I. ; though the two gentlemen in question (Gen. 
Lisle and Mr. Heath) shrank from the task of signing the 
death-warrant of the unhappy monarch, deeming that de- 
thronement, and not bloodshed, was sufficient. 

A brief retrospection may be somewhat interesting to my 
readers. All students of English history must be able to 
recall to mind, with especial distinctness, that .period in its 
annals when the persecuted Charles I. drew upon himself the 
odium and mistrust of Parliament ; and London witnessed 
the unprecedented scene of the trial of a king for treason, 
before a court chosen from amongst his subjects. Of more 
than one hundred and thirty judges, appointed by the Com- 
mons, about seventy sat in constant attendance. Chief in 
rank and importance of these was Gen. Lisle, a man of 
unwavering firmness of purpose, and his opposition to the 
fallen monarch was dictated by the purest patriotism and re- 
ligion. His beautiful daughter, Alice Lisle (afterwards Mrs. 
Heath) , married one of the younger judges of the unfortunate 
monarch, a few days prior to the execution of Charles Stuart, 
and it is on history's record of the young lady's interview 
with the stern Cromwell, a few hours before the death of the 
king by the headsman ; her bold pleadings for mere} 7 , on 
behalf of the fallen monarch, as on her knees she begged 
long, but in vain ; the canting, hypocritical mouthings of re- 
ligion were in Oliver Cromwell's speech, as he rudely bade her 
cease her reiterations on behalf of the " Son of Baliol " ; that 
he must die, as the gods had so willed it. The passing over 
of the sanguinary execution, which was a lasting disgrace to 
the land which bore the name of England ; the great powers 
given to Cromwell and the Protectorate ; his busy, eventful 
life, so full of the boldness of character, and his endeavors 
to restore something like order to his distracted country, are 
well known to my readers. Cromwell's death, years after, 
soon paved the way for the return of Charles II., or the 



126 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

" merrie monarch," as he was termed ; but how a sou could 
be joyous and light-hearted a few years after his father had 
been so unjustly put to death, is beyond the writer's compre- 
hension. Sutiice it to say, Charles II. had energy enough 
left in him to give the royal mandate for the searching out 
and punishment of his father's murderers. 

A few miles from New Haven, Conn., was an umbrageous 
wood in a green valley, surrounded by various rocky hills, of 
considerable height, rising in some places, one above another, 
with great regularity, the highest apparently touching the 
horizon, and the progressive ascent seeming like a ladder of 
approach to the sky. It was here, in one of Nature's fast- 
nesses or cavern, that Alice Heath and her husband and 
father lay hidden for a long time, food being stealthily given 
the fugitives by kind-hearted relatives. At length, growing 
weary of the hunted life, Alice Heath went alone on board a 
vessel to Kngland, to try to obtain forgiveness for her father 
and her partner for life. She was seized, on entering Great 
Britain, and immured in prison for sixteen long years, as a 
hostage for her friends. The king was not acquainted with 
the fact, — so says the legend, — and when Alice Heath, by 
the powerful interest of the Duke of Buckingham, at last ob- 
tained an interview with the merrie monarch, his Majesty 
was struck with the lady's devotion to her friends ; and 
being informed of her strenuous efforts in pleading his un- 
fortunate father's case before the stony-hearted Cromwell, 
the king gave at once his pardon to Gen. Lisle and Mr. 
Heath. The lady's return to America, with the good news, 
was in time only to see her father (now an aged man) die 
peacefully on beholding his brave daughter once more. 

Mr. and Mrs. Heath ended their days in Boston ; and 
oftentimes, in the gloaming of eventide, the eventful trials of 
their young life was a subject between them, of gratitude 
for some years of peace and comfort ; and the sad remem- 
brance of their fugitive career amongst the verdant hills of 
Connecticut, when Mistress Alice Heath was occasionally 
seen as a vapory spirit, emerging from the cavernous recesses, 
causing disquiet to the simple villagers, who invariably termed 
her the " Lady of the liocJc." 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 127 

Waterbury, Conn., the " Brass City." 

Waterbury, Conn., is situated in the well-known Nauga- 
tuck valley, and is ninety-two miles from New York, and one 
hundred and forty-nine from Boston. The city proper con- 
tains a floating population of about thirty thousand inhabi- 
tants, most of whom are busy workers in the brass manufac- 
tories of the town. The great extent of producing articles 
of every form and shape of needed usefulness in these hives 
of industry is something marvellous. A long, steady stream 
of constant workers, men, boys, and girls, may be seen by 
the hundreds at seven o'clock a. m. and at six o'clock p. m., 
wending their way patiently to and from their toilsome 
labors. In passing through these hives of industry, one is 
struck with the amount of perfected machinery in working 
order at these large factories, for labor-saving machines are 
used as much as possible in every way, from the making of the 
minutest watch movement to the big brass, easel or church 
pulpit and lectern, and in fact all articles needed in elegance 
or domesticity, of hard and soft metal ware. One of the 
foremost firms amongst the many brass manufacturers of this 
city used to be the Matthews & Willard Company, whose 
business premises were of large dimensions, and whose trade 
was chiefly in decorative and ornamental hard-metal work. 
The Waterbury Watch Company is another very busy empo- 
rium which the writer inspected. 

The places of amusement in Waterbury are not numerous, 
but enough for the requirements of its population. Jean 
Jacques Opera House, recently erected, is quite a neat, com- 
modious theatre, and man} 7 good travelling companies play 
here in the season. This opera house is certainly an improve- 
ment on the old-time theatrical City Hall, with its hard-seat- 
ing benches, and boys running around with cushions to sit on 
for an extra dime, over the dollar seat fare. 

The business or store portion of the city, called the " Cen- 
tre," is located in a valley, or lower portion of the town ; 
while in the upper part of the city are some fine residences, 
chiefly occupied by the wealthy. The views from the heights 
overlooking the environs are quite interesting, particularly 
where the eye catches the silvery streak of the flowing Nau- 



128 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

gatuck River, in its p'ebbly bed of granite. Waterbury some 
thirty years ago was a very different place from to-day, tbe 
suburbs of the city being then but mere waste lands. That 
was before American enterprise built the large mills and 
factories in the immediate neighborhood. In November, 
1886, horse-car operations commenced in Waterbury, and 
some months afterwards a new element of business extension 
was carried out, that of the Meriden & Waterbury Railroad 
Company ; and now the two busy cities will be in a manner 
drawn together by iron bands, and vie with each other in 
their emulation of good-natured rivalry in trade prospects. 

On Monday evening. April 25, 1887, Gen. W. T. Sher- 
man and John Sherman (the senator) visited Waterbury for 
the first time, en route to Woodbury, twelve miles distant, to 
visit the house of their ancestors, and to look over the graves 
of their progenitors, buried in the cemetery there. The 
brothers Sherman, soldier and statesman, looked somewhat 
alike, the general being the tallest in stature, and most 
reserved in speech, whilst the financier was inclined to be 
communicative. Roth men showed their age by their worn 
look and gray beards, but their unassuming mien and gentle 
manly bearing soon became apparent to a stranger. 

The wonderful career of these two American citizens calls 
forth a few remarks. The memorable march through Georgia 
to the sea, during the late Civil War, will ever be remem- 
bered as a marvellous military achievement of daring, fatigue, 
and endurance. Gen. Sherman dashed through the hostile 
South, accompanied by his brave soldiers, with indomitable 
courage of trained veterans, though no doubt many poor and 
weary men fell from sheer exhaustion, but the end was gained 
— that of glory, as it is termed. And twenty-five years after 
all this, we behold the once dashing young Sherman, a quiet, 
reserved, old citizen, on a pilgrimage to the graves of his 
ancestors. Not many Union generals of the late war remain 
amongst us. Gen. Giant, the once idol of the army, has 
gone to his rest, and many other brave soldiers have left us ; 
while the South has lost its Gen. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and 
other gallant men on their side. 

After this digression, we return to our subject. A mas- 
querade ball, under the auspices of the "German Turner 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 129 

Society," was given in March, 1887, at the City Hall, Water- 
bury. The writer of theae pages had an invitation, and he 
donned a naval uniform of antique period, accompanied by a 
lady as a shepherdess, and went through the arduous effort 
of dancing with suffocating masks on our faces. The effect 
that evening was very inspiriting ; the grotesque and comical, 
mixed up with the sentimental by the various characters 
assumed, was a curious sort of by-play of the world's ways. 
The music of the evening was very creditable, and some of 
the costumes quite elegant. 

Being invited to the St. Margaret's College annual school 
fair, a very pleasant evening was spent inspecting the goods 
in the school parlors, the tables being loaded with ladies' 
specimens of fine needle-work, and fine art productions on 
sale for charitable purposes. The floral i'ower caused great 
attraction, by the pretty faces peeping through. At eight 
o'clock p. m, the audience was ushered into the large school- 
room of the college, to witness the event of the evening, — 
the lady pupils undertaking the difficult task of playing 
Shakespeare's comedy of " Much Ado about Nothing." On 
crossing the lawn to the door of the main building, we soon 
found the spacious school-room was utilized for the auditorium, 
as it were, of a theatre, for the convenience of the hundreds 
of well-dressed guests of all ages, from the little miss of ten- 
der years to the young lady in her teens, who apparently 
received the admiration of their young gentlemen friends as 
their just due. The extreme end of the floor had a small 
stage, with some primitive scenery of woodland, a large 
archery target, and some lawn tennis racquets. The costumes 
of the young lady performers were well-fitting, graceful, and 
elegant, and worn as if they belonged to them. The make- 
up of the fresh young faces of the girls was very peculiar and 
somewhat amusing. Benedick and the other male characters 
of the play were all enacted by the young lad}' scholars ; and 
Shakespeare would have been pleased to see these assumed 
young cavaliers in silken hose and doublet, and highly 
polished boots to their shapely limbs, marching about the 
mimic stage with graceful deportment ; and their fair, rosy 
faces, embellished with a tiny moustache or full beard, were 
quite natural, till the voices of the would-be cavaliers were 



130 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

heard, then the feminine sounds of articulation were easily 
discovered, and the warm evening necessitated the various 
lords aud noblemen to use the fans very vigorously, thus tak- 
ing away, as it were, the male genuineness of the characters 
of the play. Benedick and Beatrice, the leading players in 
" Much Ado about Nothing," acquitted themselves well, as 
did all the other young ladies ; the only fault, if any, w:is 
the selection of so difficult a comedy for amateurs. 

The elocution and declamation of the St. Margaret School 
players showed the training of a master mind in the cultiva- 
tion of the voice and the gestures at the right time, aud 
reflect great credit to Prof. Russell, the principal of the 
college, for his teaching of the pupils under his charge, in 
this extra branch of young ladies' education, and where so 
much study has to be inculcated in these modern days of 
advancement aud refinement. 

The Soldiers' Monument, in Waterbury. 

A fitting memorial, erected on the Green, opposite St. 
John's Church, is the soldiers' monument, in remembrance 
of the brave fellows who fell in defence of the unity of the 
Union. 

The granite obelisk is surmounted by a colossal figure 
representing the Goddess of Liberty, worked in bronze. 
On each plinth of column is a soldier or sailor in full regi- 
mentals, in attitudes of defence, emblematical of their will 
in the endeavor to maintain intact their country's flag. 

The cost of the soldiers' monument of Waterbury was 
thirty thousand dollars ; and this tribute of veneration to 
the brave men of the Brass City (most of whom fell in 
action) is annually decorated with flowers, and speeches of 
patriotic character, by selected speakers, are listened to with 
much zest on the day of decoration. 

Ansonia and Birmingham. 

Quite a romantic ride of some few miles out of Waterbury 
is the journey to Ansonia by the railway cars. An almost 
continuous view of nearly perpendicular scenery skirts the 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 131 

Naugatuck River for some miles, passing on our route Hill 
Rock Grove, a very popular resort for picnic parties during 
the summer season. Ansonia, Birmingham, and Derby are 
all busy centres of brass and britannia goods, the towns 
adjoining one another, the river dividing them by its broad, 
shining expanse of water, free from rocks and eddies, which 
are to be found at the source of the Naugatuck River. In 
the more tortuous and narrow streams navigation of even a 
small beat is utterly impossible for some miles, but as the 
river approaches Derby, the addition of much larger streams 
emptying into Old Ocean causes it to be navigable for small 
steamers and other craft en route to Bridgeport and New 
York. We may add that the water-power for mill purposes 
is extensively used, where practicable, all along the Nauga- 
tuck River and valley. 

The Family Cat, " Mitey." 

A full-grown feline of unusually large size, of the male 
species, is a great favorite of our family circle ; from a small 
kitten it has been domesticated amongst us, and grown grad- 
ually into the young-tiger-like dimensions of a big cat ; its 
color is tawny and striped, bearing some resemblance to a 
wild animal. From its very earliest age its propensity for 
pugilistic encounters was terrible, when attacked or imposed 
upon ; though naturally of a quiet, kind nature at home, 
yet a perfect demon abroad, and woe betide the unlucky 
tom-cat that crossed the warpath of our pet and favorite. 
Mitey has been somewhat of a traveller ; born and reared in 
Meriden, Conn., he was transferred from thence to New 
York City, where; having arrived but a few hours, he fought 
and conquered innumerable other felines in quite a scientific 
manner. Some months later, the animal was brought to 
New Haven on the day steamer, the writer having charge of 
his Highness. It being summer time, and music played on 
the deck, Mite} 7 , in his large basket prison, was placed near 
the big fiddle, to hear the music, and likewise get the fresh 
air and sea breeze. When the first tune (a waltz) was being 
played, the cat chimed in with his solo, much to the surprise 
of the musicians and the numerous bystanders. 

Lately, since his settlement in New Bedford, Mitev has 



132 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



got somewhat in disgrace, stopping" from home days and 
nights, and having no regular meals; when at last, in obe- 
dience to his young mistress's repeated calls of '• Mitey, 
Mitey," his head appears above the back fence, minus a part 
of his ear, one eye closed and swollen, the fore paws bruised 
and torn ; in fact, his whole air and bearing having a most 
disreputable look of au old warrior, who has been a long 
time skirmishing on the war-path. 

Mitey is getting on in years now. and cannot show fight 
with as much vigor as usual, keeps at home more, ami dozes 




by the fire, with one eye elosed and the remaining eye open, 
on the lookout for any passing enemy in the yard. Quite a 
number of portraits of the indomitable Mitey, in the various 
stages of his existence, from the kitten to the matured old 
veteran, adorn the walls of the house ; these life-like pictures 
being faithfully executed by the young lady artist who owns 
Mitey, and who always imagines the turbulent old cat can 
never be in the wrong, in the various encounters with his 
different enemies of the neighborhood. Dogs and kittens 
are an ave'rsion to our friend Mitey. When met with, he 
majestically walks away, as if they were beneath his notice. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 133 

One day our parrot got out of the cage, and walked on the 
floor of the room, where the cat was lying. In an instant, 
Mitey was on the defensive for a battle royal with the saucy 
bird, who was continually calling out names offensive to the 
feline animal. However, after a brief survey of each other, 
a sort of truce seemed to be entered into, and compromise 
effected, as they went expeditiously in opposite directions. 

The Cat, Kitten, and Mouse, at Boston. 

An acquaintance of the writer, who keeps a meat market 
in Faueuil Hall Squa/e, Boston, lately showed to his friends 
a full-grown cat, who a few weeks since caught a large 
mouse, and instead of killing the little animal, as most of 
the feline tribe do, introduced the nearly frightened to death 
mouse to a small kitten belonging to the cat. It was a 
strange sight to witness the playfulness of the mouse and the 
gambols of the kitten, one with the other, in a deep box, 
where they were kept; the mother cat with them, looking 
calmly on, no doubt surprised in her catly way at her own 
forbearance in not sacrificing poor mousey. One day, how- 
ever, the mouse by some means escaped from the box, and 
was away four hours ; the cat during that time sat discon- 
solately on the top of the box, mewing and whining in a way 
felines do, eventually bringing the little truant from its hid- 
ing place ; and the owner said, such a fuss of a meeting took 
place, wonderful to witness, between the old cat and mouse, 
at the return of the little animal, and they are now better 
friends than ever. 

A most notable story seems attached to the cat (a slate 
color) , who it seems formerly belonged to some ship's captain. 
Far away in mid-ocean, on a slender raft, this same cat was 
picked up by some humane sailor, and brought to Boston. 
Not a vestige of a living being was found on the raft ; the 
cat was the only occupant ; where from, and how long she 
had been there, is a mystery. It may be she resembles 
Capt. Marryatt's " Snarleyow, the dog fiend," for her reputa- 
tion at times of vicious temper, in biting and scratching, is 
proverbial ; yet to that helpless mouse at her mere} 7 she was 
kind and forbearing, though her courage in killing rats con- 
tinues as vigilant as ever, in protecting her master's property. 



PART II. 



Tour through Canada. 

" As one who looks on landscapes beautiful 
Will ieel their spirit all his soul pervade ; 
Even as the heart grows stiller by the lull 
Of falling waters, when the winds are laid.*' 

Having long felt a desire to visit a portion of the Canadas, 
we left the city of Boston for Burlington,' passing through 
Fitchburg, Concord, and numerous other cities and towns on 
our wa} r to New Hampshire, amidst most beautiful woodland 
and wild, natural beauty. Vermont, with her chain of snow- 
clad mountains, whose summits seem to pierce the sky. is a 
country presenting scenery of a most romantic ami sublime 
character. Some of my readers may be acquainted with the 
story of the White Mountain Notch, where an entire family 
of nine persons were buried some years ago, under a land- 
slide from the mountains. On visiting the scene of this 
catastrophe with a party of gentlemen, we could not help a 
feeling of awe at beholding the air of desolation that pre- 
vailed throughout the valley, and especially about the little 
farmhouse, once occupied by the death-doomed family of the 
Willeys. After partaking of some cake and wine at an 
adjacent hotel, our attendant blew a blast on a tin horn, the 
sound of which immediately wakened up the echoes from the 
farther side of the mountain. One of our party remarked 
that the destruction of the Willey family was a dreadful visi- 
tation. "Yes, sir," said our guide, -'that was a pretty 
solium accident." 

On reaching Burlington, we crossed Lake Champlain in a 
steamboat, and truly, after the eternal din, racket, and dust 
of the railway travelling, a quiet, easy passage over the 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 135 

smooth water was a most agreeable change. American river 
steamboats, as the reader is aware, have a raised or upper 
deck, to serve as a promenade for passengers, and command- 
ing a fine view of the scenery through the chain of lakes ; so 
that passing a calm evening on deck, while traversing these 
waters, is a treat by no means to be despised. We took tea 
on board, and found the evening meal very refreshing, after 
the heat, dust, and travel of a long day's journey. We 
landed at Plattsburg, where we slept ; as much, at least, as 
the mosquitoes would let us ; and early next morning once 
more embarked and steamed across another portion of the 
lake to Rouse's Point, at which, being a frontier town of 
Canada, a custom house officer examined our baggage. 
Thence we proceeded by railway, passing at a rapid rate 
numerous French-looking towns and villages, reaching at last 
the south bank of the river St. Lawrence, opposite Montreal, 
to which city we crossed over. 

On arriving at this, the chief commercial town of Lower 
Canada, we were greatly amused to hear the scores of hack- 
drivers bawling and shouting out, with the power of so many 
Stentors, the names of the different hotels ; while the police- 
men stood quietly looking on, with a dejected air, as if they 
but ill relished their occupations. Our party engaged rooms 
at one of the best hotels, and then sauntered out to see the 
city of Montreal. The public buildings are not very num- 
erous, the leading edifices being the Roman Catholic cathe- 
dral, the English cathedral church, with its lofty spire, a 
handsome, commodious post-office, City Hall, etc. Montreal 
has several large market-houses, but one cannot say that the 
goods exposed in them looked very tempting, by the thou- 
sands of flies and insects that hovered around and settled on 
the wares. The weather, however, was so oppressively hot, 
that going out in mid-day was almost impossible. 

Montreal Carnival Week, January, 1885. 

As a slight digression in the season's calendar, we might 
say that the Ice Carnival, which is now quite an established 
institution in Montreal, is quite in contrast, as regarding 
temperature, to summer travelling. The winter celebration 



136 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

and Carnival for 1885 was brought to a close Jan. 31, so far 
as the official programme was concerned, by a liberal display 
of fireworks and colored lights at the Ice Palace. The gay* 
eties, however, were not yet over, for many visitors remained 
in the city, who found it hard to tear themselves away from 
the very pleasant associations they had formed during the 
week. The palace of ice still stood, and would stand for 
weeks to come ; the snow-shoers still went on their merry 
tramps, and the toboggan hills were in their glory. The next 
few weeks, in fact, were the very best time in which to enjoy 
Montreal's out-door attractions, as most of the crowd will be 
gone, and the bustle and excitement will have subsided. 
The Carnival of 1885 has been very successful ; the visitors 
were more pleased with the grand wintry sight of the Ice 
Palace than usual, and the long procession of snow-shoers, 
skaters, sleighing parties, military attacking and repulsing 
companies were perfect in their arrangements, and there has 
been less extortion this year. It is estimated that fifty 
thousand persons have visited Montreal during the Carnival 
week ; and as tiny have been accommodated comfortably, it 
is safe to assume that this recreative sport is growing in 
favor, and becoming popular ; and it also seems to indicate 
that the authorities at Montreal are getting experienced in 
handling her great winter festival of Ice Carnival amuse- 
ments. 

Down the St. Lawrence to Quebec. 

The tourist when in Canada should take one of the num- 
erous steamers, say from Montreal, and sail down the superb 
St. Lawrence River to Quebec, the distance being about one 
hundred and eighty miles. The interest of the trip is often 
enhanced by the frequent falling in with the huge floating 
timber-fields of the lumberers (trading from up the country 
down to Quebec), who, after collecting the logs cut from the 
forests, at the mouths of the various rivers flowing into the 
great lake, form them into immense rafts, but capable of 
division and subdivision, to allow of their passage through 
rivers and down the rapids and sloping aqueducts, called 
slides, common on the St. Lawrence between Lake Erie and 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 137 

Quebec. These rafts have on them sometimes whole fam- 
ilies, with their bedding and cooking utensils, by means of 
which they make themselves as comfortable as if they were 
at home. It is a curious life of hardship and adventure that 
these Canadian boatmen lead ; and yet they seem always 
merry and light-hearted ; chorusing, as we passed them, their 
wild 

" Hi oh ! boatmen row, 
Singing down the river Ohio! " 

and capering about as if they had never known an hour of 
trouble. We may add, that at night they always burn 
beacon-fires on board these rafts, as otherwise they would 
stand a chance of being run down by one of the numerous 
steamers passing. 

Quebec. 

Quebec is situated on a promontory terminated by Cape 
Diamond, at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and St. 
Charles rivers. The approach to it down the river is ex- 
tremely beautiful, — the rocky heights on either side, the 
quantities of shipping riding at anchor, the view of the lower 
town under the cliffs, and the immense masses of timber 
logs, partly aground, partly floating in the stream, all con- 
tributing to give a diversified aspect ; while high above, 
elevated three hundred and fifty feet above the river, bris- 
tling with cannon, rises the citadel, which has not inaptly been 
termed the " Gibraltar of the New World." The soldiers of 
the garrison looked like healthy, hardy fellows, and on the 
writer mentioning the severity of the Canadian winters, the 
guide in attendance said, "We do not mind it; we have to 
keep the court-yard clear of snow, which gives us plenty of 
work, and circulates the blood in our veins, and then on the 
long, dark evenings we have a bit of a dance with our com- 
rades' wives and daughters." 

The obelisk, erected by Lord Dalhousie in the castle gar- 
den, commemorates the death of the gallant English and 
French generals, Wolfe and Montcalm, both of whom fell in 
the memorable battle on the Heights of Abraham, Sept. 13, 



138 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

1759 ; a battle which resulted in the total annihilation of the 
French power in Canada. 

A little below the Heights, close by the residence and 
offices of the governor-general, is a handsome terrace, which 
forms the fashionable promenade of Quebec. 

The city is divided into Upper and Lower Town ; the 
former on the summit of the promontory, the latter on the 
shore beneath ; besides which, there are two suburbs, those 
of St. John and St. Roche, where the streets and houses are 
much handsomer and more regularly built. The houses in 
the Upper Town are mostly stone, and some built of brick. 
The old or Lower Town has narrow, dirty, and in many 
parts steep streets, and buildings of inferior dimensions ; 
nevertheless, here is the great seat of business, and the river 
banks are lined with warehouses and wharves, facilitating 
the lading and unlading of the shipping. 

Return up the St. Lawrence. 

After a refreshing night's rest at one of the comfortable 
hotels, where the viands were excellent, particularly the 
salmon, we bid adieu to Quebec, and once more traversed 
the noble St. Lawrence. Having resolved to visit Upper 
Canada, we purchased a through ticket to Niagara Falls, by 
way of the Lachine Rapids. Some Indians were on board 
(with their interpreter), most of whom were young men, 
finely formed, but with repulsive countenances. They had 
with them a considerable quantity of skins, being in the em- 
ploy of the Hudson Bay Company as trappers. 

The steamer that received us was a perfect little palace, 
having a superbly furnished saloon, with velvet chairs and 
sofas, magnificent pier-glasses, piano, harp, etc., and a well- 
appointed library of books, newspapers, and magazines ; 
everything, in short, that the most fastidious traveller could 
desire. The gentlemanly captain, who headed the well-fur- 
nished table, played the host with a dignified ease quite 
pleasant to witness. 

As we are now passing upwards towards Niagara, some 
notice will naturally be expected of the rapids, so character- 
istic of the navigation of the St. Lawrence. Thev come 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 139 

down with such violence, indeed, that some of the worst can- 
not be overcome by powerful steamers, except with the aid 
of locks. It is a tedious process, this ; we were fully six 
hours in getting through eight locks, which we had to pass 
in the twelve miles that these rapids extend. To witness 
the steamboats passing down the rapids of St. Lawrence 
River, to nervous persons is very bewildering, the locomo- 
tion almost exceeding the rate of railway travelling ; but 
the quick-sighted, experienced pilots steer their vessels won- 
derfully well and safely through the numerous snags (or 
stems and branches of trees entangled in the stream channel) 
and the many strong and conflicting currents that meet on 
these waters. 

As we journey along in our vast floating hotel, let us 
glance around on our " conijxxgnons de voyage." A miscel" 
laneous group, indeed, are they ; of every class, from the 
grazier, lumber dealer, commercial man, and tourist, to 
ladies and gentlemen from the Canadas and United States, 
in the mere pursuit of pleasure. Various were the discus- 
sions of the topics of passing events, which would often lead 
to high words, and occasionally continue so long that chilly 
night, far in advance, would warn the debaters to retire to 
their state-rooms. The Canadians, we found, as a rule, very 
courteous and intelligent in their explanations to us respect- 
ing the agriculture, commerce, and social habits of their 
country. 

Lake Ontario ; its Cities and its Thousand Islands. 

"And while the vessel swiftly flies 
Against the stream — direct his eyes 
To rest on beauties which abound, 
The rapid river's hanks around." 

We now entered the beautiful, smooth, and glassy-watered 
Lake Ontario, the most easterly and least elevated of the 
great Canadian lakes, though still about two hundred and 
thirty feet above the tide level of the St. Lawrence. It is 
about one hundred and seventy niil£s long, and near its cen- 
tre about seventy miles broad ; while its depth is so aston- 
ishing as somewhat to exceed eighty fathoms, or four hun- 



140 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

dred and eighty feet ; twenty feet more than the height of the 
cross of St. Peter's at Rome ! The sunsets on this magnifi- 
cent sheet of water were extremely beautiful ; the shape of 
the streaks was most peculiar, and the various-tinted colors, 
blending one with another, gave the effect of a splendid trans- 
parency. The hike is constantly traversed by brigs, scows, 
and schooners, and by large steamers plying between Toronto 
and Kingston in Canada, and Genesee, Oswego, and Sack- 
ett's Harbor in the United States. Its banks are in general 
level and mostly covered with wood, though now variegated 
by increased cultivation. On the Canadian side, in particu- 
lar, the soil is of remarkable fertility, owing to the rotten 
stumps and clearings of decayed branches and dead leaves 
from the forests, which combine to form a black, vegetable 
mould or loam, of profuse richness. 

In traversing Lake Ontario, we passed within sight of 
Brockville, and we also steamed through the group of the far- 
famed Thousand Islands, which extend in clusters for some 
miles, furnishing a series of magnificent views — one suc- 
ceeding another, and keeping the eye constantly engaged in 
gazing on the rich, variegated verdure and beautiful wood- 
lands, with which most of them are covered. The steamboat 
companies always arrange to pass them b} r daylight, so that 
travellers need not fear disappointment. 

An anecdote is told in connection with these islands, of a 
gentleman, who having engaged in the Canadian rebellion, 
had to conceal himself here from the troops sent after him, 
under the late Gen. Worth ; and during his long concealment 
he was regularly supp'ied with provisions by his heroic 
daughter Kate, who visited him in her canoe, and has 
acquired the name of the "Queen of the Thousand Islands." 

On arriving at Kingston, we changed steamers for Toronto. 
The harbor is excellent, having water deep enough for large 
vessels to lie close to the shore, and attached to it is a con- 
siderable naval dockyard. In fact, Kingston is quite a gar- 
risoned town, and has a stronghold named " Fort Heury," 
and several companies of well-disciplined British troops in 
its citadel. 

Embarking on another steamer, we traversed about one 
hundred and forty miles of varied river and land scenery, 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 141 

reached the city of Toronto, and entered the deep, circular 
bay ; this section of the trip taking about sixteen hours. We 
had very pleasant company on board, including some good 
lady singers and performers on the pianoforte. Toronto is, 
on the whole, a handsome city 7 ; the streets are regularly laid 
out, and the houses built mostly of stone. 

We again disembarked, to proceed further westward, in 
another steamer, for Lewistou, on the Niagara River, just 
below the Falls, which town we reached in a few hours, and 
there found coaches awaiting our arrival to convey us to the 
railroad depot, from which a short trip b} - the cars brought 
us within sound of the Cataract, while we could occasionally 
see the spray rising like a white mist in the atmosphere. 

Niagara Falls. 

As respects the Falls, so many persons have written, and 
so eloquently, on this wonder of Nature, that one almost 
despairs of any attempt at description ; yet as no two 
writers have ever described them precisely alike, we shall 
humbly endeavor to record our impressions on viewing this 
stupendous spectacle. 

On first looking at Niagara Falls, one cannot avoid a feel- 
ing that we are here within the precincts of God's holy work, 
the glorious temple of the Great Living Spirit ; and the 
thought immediately following is — how insignificant, in 
sight of such a work of the Divine Architect, is man and 
all man's undertakings ! The deafening roar of the falling 
waters seemed to resolve itself into steady, stately sounds 
of majestic music, louder, grander, and more imposing than 
could have been elicited from all the organs and orchestras 
in the world. Of the beauteous spray, "one could fill many 
pages of description, so truly and poetically sublime does it 
appear, as it rises like a pure white cloud of filmy vapor and 
assumes a variety of fantastic shapes, ascending high into 
the atmosphere, every now and tlien receiving the most 
lovely and varied tints, as it met the sun's rays. 

Cold indeed must the person be, who can gaze on this sub- 
lime and stupendous cataract without being awestruck by 
its magnificence, and gigantic, indescribable power. Nay, 



142 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

even when we see the wondrous velocity of the rapids imme- 
diately above the Falls, we shrink with apprehension at the 
thought how soon these waters are to rush down the mighty 
chasm, and, in part, be dispersed in mist. 

Niagara often presents a variety of aspects : for at one 
time we ma}* see it enveloped, as it were, in, and partly 
hidden by, the beauteous spray ; a moment after, it will shine 
forth, fully revealed in the sunlight ; and again appearing 
covered with a dense intensity of gloom that gives it the 
semblance of a wild, tempest-beaten sea. In short, no one 
can look with indifference on this majestic scene, no one turn 
from it, without a feeling of gratitude that he has been per- 
mitted silently to worship his Creator in this sublime temple 
of the Almighty power. 

As some of my readers, however, may prefer positive 
facts to moral reflections, we shall here subjoin a few par- 
ticulars which will give some practical idea of the stupen- 
dous grandeur of these Falls. The Niagara River issuer 
from the eastern extremity of Lake Erie, and after forming 
several islands, one of them twelve miles in length, and pur- 
suing a quite smooth course of about thirty-four miles, is 
first propelled over a succession of rapids, having a descent 
of fifty feet in half a mile, and is then precipitated over the 
Falls, which are divided by an island about five hundred 
yards broad, perched in the very centre of the cataract, in 
two distinct sheets of water, one of which, on the Canadian 
side, called, from its concave shape, the Horseshoe Fall, is 
six hundred yards wide, and one hundred and fifty-eight feet 
deep ; while the American Fall, on the opposite side, is 
about two hundred yards wide, and one hundred and sixty- 
four feet deep ; so that the entire breadth of the river, from 
shore to shore, is about one thousand four hundred yards ; 
and the quantity of water hourly precipitated into the chasm 
beneath has been calculated at 11,524,400 tons. 

The depth of the water, be it understood, is much greater 
on the Canadian than on the American side ; and hence, 
while the scarcely hidden limestone rocks below the Ameri- 
can Fall cause the flood to be broken into foam, the deep- 
green hue of the billows beneath the Horseshoe Fall is but 
slightly changed by the crests of foam rising above them. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 143 

Lastly, the waters, immediately after their union below the 
cataract, are again contracted into a stream not more than 
one hundred and sixty yards wide, rushing through a deep 
trench, bounded by perpendicular, rocky walls, which have 
been cut by the action of the waters during the lapse of 
many centuries. 

Some years ago, the narrator, on visiting Niagara, had 
the curiosity of a young man to inspect the passageway 
under the Horseshoe Fall. We believe no visitors are allowed 
down there now, as it is fast closing up, and considered dan- 
gerous to explore. A spiral staircase once conducted the 
tourists under the Fall ; flannel and rubber suits were pro- 
vided us by the guides in attendance ; much care had to be 
taken, for it was attended with some danger, owing to the 
slipperiness of the rocky ground, from the effects of the 
spray, and an unlucky false step would precipitate one into 
the whirling gulf beneath. We were six in number, and the 
guide directed us to hold one another's hands and face the 
rock, having our backs to the immense body of the cataract. 
We had not advanced far, before our breathing became diffi- 
cult and painful, from the rarefaction of the atmosphere, 
and though the falling water in some parts drenched us to 
the skin, still we were in a profuse perspiration. 

We walked very slowly sideways for some distance, till at 
length one of our party was reported to be fainting (not the 
writer), whereupon the guide instantly called upon us, with 
stentorian lungs (barely heard, owing to the roar of the 
cataract), to halt, and return sideways, as we had advanced 
without turning round. It was a curious and bewildering 
sensation, being directly under so many thousand tons of 
water ; and when we gave a confused and timid glance up- 
wards, we had a strange and mingled fear and reverence, at 
beholding the mighty watery avalanche. The rushing sound 
of the Horseshoe Fall is indeed most terrific, when heard in 
close proximity to it ; and when we emerged from the nar- 
row opening, we felt truly thankful, in spite of all the 
majesty of the spectacle, that we had escaped unharmed from 
under the " Horseshoe." 

As the best, and indeed only simultaneous, view of both 
the Falls is to be had from about three hundred yards on the 



144 RAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

river below them, a stout little steamer, called " The Maid 
of the Mist," used to be brought into requisition, during the 
season of summer, to carry passengers between the Suspen- 
sion Bridge and the Falls. A trip this way cauuot fail of 
proving interesting, even to those least affected by the sub- 
limities of Nature. 

After a short ride of about two miles, stemming the rapid 
current, we at length came in full view of the American Falls ; 
after which we were boldly steered to the very mouth of the 
Horseshoe Cataract ; whence, after satisfying our curiosity, 
we emerged from the enveloping rainbow-gilded spray, and 
then the pilot skilfully steered us back on our homeward 
way. The magnificence of the scene, as the gallant little 
steamer passed through the filmy vapor floating around us, 
can only be appreciated by those who have witnessed its 
grandeur. Water-proof dresses are provided on board for 
the passengers, and many a merry laugh rings from the young 
men and maidens, as they survey one another in their india- 
rubber disguises. 

The Niagara Suspension Bridge. 

This stupendous and wonderful structure, which spans the 
rock-enclosed river about two miles below the Falls, was the 
work of the well-known American engineer, Mr. .1. A. 
Roebling. of Trenton, N. .1. (of the Fast River big bridge 
tame, New York). It is suspended by wire ropes, forming 
a single span of eight hundred feet, and has two floors, the 
lower one for the ordinary traffic of horses and teams, also 
foot passengers; that above for railway trains. The main 
cables, to which Ihe wire ropes are secured, are fastened by 
massive iron chains, sunk from twenty to thirty feet into the 
native rock, and rest on cast-iron saddles, placed on the tops 
of the towers on either side. These cables, of course, are 
extremely strong, for it is no uncommon occurrence to see a 
train of heavily loaded freight cars, covering the entire 
bridge from end to end. To construct any other kind of 
bridge over this deep and rapid stream would have been 
almost impossible, and the enterprise was regarded as a 
complete engineering triumph. 



KAMBLKS IN AMKRKJA.. 145 



Casualties at Niagara Falls. 

One day, during our visit, glancing over the theu wooden 
bridge which overlooked the Horseshoe Fall, a boatman 
came up to the writer and observed: "Could this bridge 
speak, what fearful tales it might tell ! I well remember," 
said he, " a part}*, consisting of a gentleman, his wife, and 
little daughter, with a male friend, who were looking over 
this bridge, as you are now. Well, sir, this friend, in the 
exuberance of his delight at the splendid sight of the waters, 
caught up the little girl, saying jestingly, ' I will throw you 
over' ; when the child, startled by the sudden act, leaped out 
of his arms into the whirling rapids beneath. Instantly, the 
young man, whose recklessness had caused the accident, 
jumped into the rushing tide with the intention of saving 
her, but in vain — they were both precipitated over the 
Horseshoe Fall. The body of the girl was found, with the 
head frightfully crushed between two rocks, about a couple 
of miles below the cataract. The young man's bod}" was 
never found. Alas, sir," said the tender-hearted fellow, 
" this calamity shed a melancholy gloom for weeks over the 
neighborhood " 

" And well it might," thought the writer. The sufferings 
of the parents must have been beyond expression, when they 
beheld their darling child whirled about in the eddies of the 
terrible rapids, and after giving, perhaps, one last look, and 
uttering one half-stifled death-scream, was borne over the 
cataract, and parted from them forever. Yet not forever, 
let us hope ; her sainted soul doubtless awaits in heaven a 
glad reunion with those from whom she was, by so dreadful 
a visitation, severed on earth. 

Farewell to Niagara Falls. 

The time which we had resolved to enjoy the wild glories 
of Niagara having come to a close, we took a last, lingering, 
fond, farewell look at its fascinating waters, and thought of 
those beautiful words of Charles Mackay : — 

•'Mighty Niagara, whose voire we hear . 
Bursting in thunder, loud, sublime, and clear. 



146 KAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

Thy glorious waters, like an ocean burled 
From the blue heaven to overflow the world, 
Fill us with wonder, as we stand afar, 
Humbled to think how small and mean we are; 
And as they rush, and loam, and burst, and roll, 
They speak high language to the awe-struck soul.'' 

Captain Webb's fate at Niagara. 

In the death of this noted diver and swimmer, the \ 
has lost one of its most rashly brave men. The venturesome 
hero, who buffeted his weary way across the English ( 
nel to the French coast, and accomplished many other 
at last falls an easy victim to the vast rapids of America's 
rushing waters. It almost seems as if poor Webb became 
like some of the famed generals of old, who wept because 
there were no more worlds to conquer; and our brave swim- 
mer and rescuer of lives, after doing unheard-of trials of 
strength and endurance in the water, must needs try to wage 
war against the great rapids and whirlpools of Niagara. 
The death-plunge was made in duly, 1883, before a small 
number of incredulous spectators; the deed seemed to be 
done in defiance of railway companies and hotel-kee 
who tauntingly said that Capt. Webb did not mean what he 
proposed doing. The finding of the body, mutilated and 
bruised though it was, became a matter of solace to the be- 
reaved wife, and a source of great satisfaction to the de- 
ceased man's friends, as reports began to be circulated of 
the adventurer's landing and hiding somewhere, for a mone- 
tary sensation. 

Since the death of Capt. Webb, many foolhardy leaps 
and plunges in the rapids of Niagara have been attempted. 
with various results; the most notable of all, up to the 
present date, September, 188!), — and said to eclipse all the 
others, — were Graham in his barrel and Steve Brodie in his 
rubber suit, both of whom claim to have gone over the 
Horseshoe Fall, and were picked out of the seething waters 
in an insensible condition. 

After leaving Niagara Falls and its attractions, we pro- 
ceeded by the New York & Erie Railway (Albany brand , 
eastward. The first and largest place at which we stoppe ; . 
on our way to Albany, was Buffalo, a busy lake port and 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 147 

commercial entrepot, with a large population and vast, in- 
creasing trade ; and we afterwards passed through Roches- 
ter, Syracuse, Rome, and many other towns, arriving at 
Albany in the forenoon. Albany, as most of my readers 
know, is the capital of the State of New York, and one of 
the oldest settled cities in the Union. It stauds on very 
uneven ground, rising from the right bank of the Hudson to 
the height of more than two hundred feet, and is, on the 
whole, a well-built city, having, amoug other public edifices, 
a Capitol, at the top of the principal street, and near it the 
City Hall and State Hall, the first and last of which are the 
seats of the legislative and executive authorities of the 
State of New York. The railway and Hudson River traffic 
between Albany and New York City' is very extensive. 

Saratoga, and its Visitors. 

To have been so near Saratoga, and yet not visit it, would 
be like presenting the play of lt Hamlet," omitting the 
character of the royal Dane, especially as it was the very 
height of the fashionable season. A pleasant ride of some 
thirty miles took us to the place, which is charmingly situated 
in a champaign country, skirted by hills, intersected by 
streams and lakes, and presenting occasionally some very 
beautiful, romantic scenery. 

Historically, Saratoga claims an interest as being the place 
near which, during the Revolutionary War, Gen. Burgovne 
and his troops were obliged (Oct. 17, 1777) to surrender to 
Gen. Gates, the American commander. Its present celebrity 
and popularity are clue to the saline and chalybeate springs 
in the vale just below the town, the waters of which are in 
high repute, both for renovating the over-taxed or inert sys- 
tem and curing many descriptions of inveterate disease. 

Fine hotels, with beautiful attached gardens, and numer- 
ous excellent boarding-houses are to be found here. From 
July to September a living stream of persons visit here in the 
season, including many of the elite of wealth, fashion, and 
beauty, from every part of the Union, besides many of every 
grade of rank and variety of character. In fact, at Saratoga 
the traA'eller may see the strangely characteristic and strongly 



148 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

contrasted features of the whole country brought before hiui 
at a single view, and study the varying characters of differ- 
ent States under singularly advantageous conditions. We 
question, however, whether any other continent could pro- 
duce a larger assemblage of well-dressed and polite-mannered 
men, or a brighter array of feminine beauty, than the salons 
and gardens of Saratoga. The ladies of the South, like their 
sisters of the North, are in most part celebrated for their 
symmetry of form and regularity of features. 

Return to New York, down the Hudson. 

On our return to Albany, we took passage in one of those 
fine floating palaces, propelled by steam, which navigate the 
Hudson River, between that city and New York. This river, 
called " The Rhine of America," is constantly traversed by 
steam vessels, and tugs conveying small craft. Its length 
up to Troy (six miles above Albany) is one hundred and fifty 
miles. Its breadth, near Albany, is rather less than a mile ; 
but below the heights, called '"The Palisades." it widens 
considerably, and is nearly three miles wide at its entrance 
into New York harbor. As for its scenery, nothing will sur- 
pass the beauty of the landscapes presenting themselves on 
either side of the banks — lofty, bold-looking mountains here ; 
round, well-wooded hills there ; and anon fertile valleys 
stretching for miles upon miles on either side of the stream. 
In fact, the eye never tires of such charming prospects as 
these. Hither retire the wealthy, the learned, and the fash- 
ionable of America; nor can we conceive a more delightful 
abode than one of those elegant and picturesque villas which 
dot its banks. 

The calm retirement and the sylvan beauties of this 
romantic neighborhood make it indeed a most welcome re- 
treat, equally for the retired, wealthy citizen, the successful 
poet, and the true lover of Nature ; besides, the constant 
passing up and down of the many steamboats and shipping 
gives a liveliness that adds not a little t<> the charms of this 
beautiful river. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 149 



New York Revisited. 



In the earlier sojourn of the narrator to the Empire City, 
many years ago, New York was a more primitive city than 
at the present time. To explain the rapid growth of this 
bewildering metropolis of 1,700,000 souls (in the census of 
1890) would certainly fill a volume of its own ; and as many 
competent writers have already graphically described the 
emporium of all nationalities, in its progress, suffice it to say, 
we shall briefly confine ourselves to what came immediately 
under our notice, between the periods of the first and second 
visits to this country. The palatial steamers plying from 
Fall River through the Sound to New York are so well known 
that a description is superfluous, except, as it may be, on a 
crowded evening, such as the writer of these sketches wit- 
nessed, New-Year's Day of 1884, when friends were returning 
to their city homes, after visiting their country cousins in 
New England. All the state-rooms wei-e sold, days before 
sailing ; consequently, sleeping-berths were in great demand ; 
the remainder of the passengers had to lie on mattresses 
on the saloon floor, or quietly cloze in arm-chairs and lounges 
all night. Not being able to get a state-room, a berth was 
secured in time, the middle one of a tier of three. A tired 
man can congratulate himself, on finding a resting place at 
last ; soon, however, a climbing sound was heard, of a per- 
son reaching the upper berth ; and as the unwieldy body 
attempted to lie down, the narrator's alarm began, and sleep 
was almost out of the question ; for every time the heavy, 
fleshy man in the upper sleeping compartment moved rest- 
lessly, in changing his position, the lath supports of the 
narrow bed strained, bulged, and bent, as if the big creature's 
weight would assuredly break down the couch on the alarmed 
sleeper below. However, drowsiness overcame the fidgety 
passenger at last, the lath slats returned to their proper 
place, and the danger was over. 

But as the noise of the machinery, and the smell of the 
supper and breakfast preparations are not very conducive to 
sleep, weary as one was, we thought it best to arise at early 
morn and made for the deck, stepping over sleeping way- 
farers in the saloon. We may add, that a trip in the mag- 



150 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

nificeut palace steamer " Pilgrim," in the summer time, is 
enjoyable ; the huge vessel is colossal iu size, elegaut in all 
its appointments, and with electric lights everywhere, state- 
rooms included. The cost of this magnificent vessel must 
have been immense. The band of the steamer discourses 
sweet sounds on the balmy air, those pleasant evenings in 
the season. 

To return to our rami ties. On gaining the promenade 
deck, and fresh, pure air and breeze, we found we were 
approaching near " Hell Gate," a well-known rocky section 
of the East River, the danger of which is every year becom- 
ing less, by the skilful engineering of blasting the rocky beds 
and widening the channel of this great commercial river high- 
way. .Soon innumerable lamps began to appear in the long 
streets near the river's edge, most of which were the renowned 
electric lights, some of the wharves having the same power- 
ful luminaries ; and when we sailed past Castle Garden a, 
perfect blaze of electric orbs appeared iu circle, all around 
the landing stages connecting therewith ; the sight of this 
modern innovation of years ago seems to strike a beholder 
very much. The thronged thoroughfares, Broadway and 
Bowery, and other prominent business streets, share their 
appreciation of this wonderful luminary of modern times ; all 
is bright, of a steely, sepulchral look, where light is needed, 
while the side avenues are almost in darkness, from the 
reflected old style of gas and oil lamps, the contrast being 
very noticeable. All the principal public buildings, large 
hotels, and newly erected theatres, utilize, where they can, 
this modern light of electricity. 

In company with friends, we spent many pleasant hours 
at the first-rate performances given at Union Square, Mad- 
ison Square, Standard, and Wallack's theatres, while the 
better class of instrumental music-halls seem to try to outdo 
each other in their really excellent concerts and decorative 
buildings of amusement. 

While on the subject of opera, Col. Mapleson has the last 
few years clone much at the Academy of Music and else- 
where for the better elevation of singing and operatic instru- 
mental performances. Such a brilliant array of names of 
first-class singers as Madames Marimou, Gerster, Marie 



GAMBLES IN AMERICA. 151 

Roze, Annie Cary, Minnie Hauk, Patti, Nilsson, Leblache, 
Emma Nevada, Scalchi, Fursch-Madi, etc, with Signors 
Campanini, Ravelli, Nicolini, Gassier, G-iannini, Serbolini, 

and man}* other talented artists, added to which a full and 
efficient chorus and splendid band of nearly one hundred 
instrumental performers, under the able leadership of the 
conductor, Sig. Arditi, — speaks volumes for the rich treat 
of classical operatic music the New Yorkers and other large 
cities of the Union were blessed with, during the four winter 
seasons. Col. Mapleson kept his word with the directors of 
the Academy of Music, when he said he would bring the 
best available talent in the world to this country; the truly 
tine voices of the artists have been heard to the echo by 
many thousands of all classes, who nightly testified their 
appreciation of these operatic performances, and justified by 
their plaudits the success of the enterprise. 

The new innovations of modern times to an absentee from 
New York are the elevated railroads ; trains drawn by smart 
little engines run every few minutes throughout the day, and 
on Third Avenue all night. The rush and turmoil of this 
elevated transit is bewildering to a non-resident of a large 
and bustling city ; passengers can scarcely get in or out of 
cars with safety, when the signal is given, and the pant- 
ing locomotive is off again, a few blocks further, to the 
next station ; in fact, it is all commencing and stopping. 
The system of air brakes must be very forcible, for the 
whole of the cars will be in full motion, one moment, then as 
suddenly come to a dead halt. Some sad and fatal accidents 
happen occasionally through this indiscriminate hurry and 
bustle. Great as the conveniences are to the suburban resi- 
dents, one almost questions whether the remedy is not 
worse than the disease, when we see really fine properties 
in a manner sacrificed by the near proximity of the unsightly, 
elevated stanchion roads ; and then the horrid noise, night 
and day, of everlasting, passing trains ; added to which, the 
red-hot cinders occasionally dropping down on the sidewalks, 
as it is on the Bowery elevated railway, is enough to sicken 
some people of modern improvements. 

The Sixth Avenue elevated railway takes the traveller 
from the Battery, down town, to 155th Street, up town, for 



152 RAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

the fare of five cents. Having a call to make up town, we 
went the whole extent of the Sixth Avenue line of elevated 
cars to 155th Street, then changed to another company's 
cars across the bridge over the Harlem River. On alighting 
at the depot of High Bridge, we walked up the steep incline 
on to the high level of the bridge, from the summit of which 
we had an uninterrupted view of the still water of the frozen 
river for miles, as it lay, calm and still, in its icy bed ; for it 
was January, 1883, when everything was frozen far and 
wide, and the curious stillne>s of all craft, steamers and 
sloops, embedded, as they were, in the icy embrace of this 
favorite stream, was peculiar. The contrast of these chilling 
surroundings on this cold morning was very great, when one 
remembered having sailed on the Harlem River, the previous 
Fourth of July, when the tidal stream was literally alive with 
passenger boats, excursion steamers, sailing craft, etc., of all 
sizes, and the air resounding with the laughter and joyous- 
ness of the holiday makers ; but in midwinter, except for 
the merry sleigh-bells of the distant teams, the stillness and 
solitude that pervaded this lonely but beautiful locality was 
almost deathlike. As the poet properly says : — 

" No noise is here, or noiie that hinders thought : 
The redhreast warhles still, hut is content 
With slender notes, and more than half suppressed : 
Pleased with his solitude and flitting light.'' 

East River Suspension Bridge. 

Crossing from New York City to Brooklyn by ferry-boat, 
the traveller has a fine opportunity of viewing one of the 
greatest engineering triumphs of the world, — the connecting 
link between two great and rising cities, by its famed sus- 
pension bridge. This really stupendous undertaking is a 
remarkable structure in its great vastness and power. Most 
visitors to New York have seen this marvel of modern times. 

The big bridge was formally opened on May 24, 1883 (the 
birthday of Queen Victoria, as it happened), by President 
Arthur, assisted by Mayor Low, of Brooklyn, Mayor Edson, 
of New York, Gov. Cleveland, and quite a procession of 
aldermen, common councilmen, and other civil magnates of 
both cities who took part in the opening ceremonies. Over 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 153 

a million of people are supposed to have been present on this 
auspicious day. The original architect and engineer was 
Mr. John A. Roebling, of Trenton, N. J., who met his death 
by an accident, and was succeeded by his son, Col. W. A 
Roebling, who, with a staff of engineers, carried out the 
colossal project. Thus the day for which Brooklyn and New 
York had waited so many 3-ears, was fully realized, with 
every success. The hundreds of thousands of persons who 
have passed over the bridge from 1883 to 1890 can testif y to 
the magnificent promenade, driveway, and cable-car road, 
and the superb panoramic view of East and North rivers, 
with their ever-moving marine parade of vessels from all 
climes. In the six years of storm and sunshine the big bridge 
has stood all tests of weather, a remarkable tribute to the 
skilful engineering staff. 

As the Enst River suspension bridge becomes a "nine 
days' wonder," we shall ever remember the pluck and energy 
of the promoters of this vast work, in the achievement of the 
truly bold and costly enterprise, who, amidst innumerable 
obstacles, have conquered forthwith. Fourteen millions of 
dollars, it is said, the bridge cost, and about eighteen years' 
time was required for its construction, as the work of the 
approaches from both sides of the river were of great magni- 
tude, and the dangerous labor of sinking caissons, building 
towers, and stretching cables was a consummation of a work 
the world has seldom seen, for magnitude and for splendid 
engineering skill, aided by a band of stuuby employees of 
first-rate courage and daring. The eminent divine. Rev. De 
Witt Talmnge, has lectured very oratorically of this bridge. 

The three days' celebration in New York, in April, 1889, 
to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the 
inauguration of Washington as President, will long be 
remembered by New Yorkers and the myriads of visitors 
assembled to witness the colossal parade of troops, naval 
brigades, secret societies, and trades processions of miles in 
length, taking seven hours to pass a given point. The fes- 
tivities commenced with a naval review of men-of-war, down 
to the miniature steam- tug with its shrill whistle, — vessels 
of all sizes formed in line. President Harrison, assisted by 
Ex-President Cleveland and Governors of States, all did 



154 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

homage of inspection to this pageant and those of following' 
days. The New York and Brooklyn policemen had an 
arduous time of it in trying to keep the swaying crowd in 
order. The decorations of flags and bunting were very pro- 
fuse all over the city, and the hotel-keepers and others 
reaped a good harvest during the celebration. It would be 
a difficult task to calculate the innumerable glasses of lager 
beer that were consumed on those fatiguing days; but the 
week's loss of business must have been serious items to many 
struggling merchants and store-keepers, as trade, except that 
of eating and drinking, was totally suspended. 

The city of Brooklyn at last census, June, 1890, gives 
800,000 as its population. 

New York Churches. 

During the writer's stay in 1882 of some twelve mouths in 
the Empire City, he had full opportunities of visiting the 
various churches therein. Among so many sacred edifices of 
every denomination, with their vast array of eloquent preach- 
ers, it would be invidious to select any special one out of its 
number as paramount to the others ; suffice it to say, a few 
words about two or three of the most prominent of the 
Episcopal and other churches may not prove uninteresting to 
my readers. 

Trinity Church is a fine old architectural edifice, situated 
in the lower part of Broadway (a few hundred yards from the 
magnificent block of buildings, the New York post-office), 
and presided over by a very able and estimable divine, Dr. 
Dix. Easter Sunday and Christmas Day are gala times in 
"• Old Trinity." A sight not easily forgotten is seen here on 
those particular days of religious rejoicing ; the altar and 
chancel are literally embedded in flowers and sacred decora- 
tions ; thousands of well-dressed people crowd up all the 
aisles, avenues, and approaches, the pews, of course, beiug 
inconveniently filled at an early hour ; and as the mob of 
sight-seers sway hither and thither, in their efforts to get a 
foothold in the edifice, the grand, swelling sound of the mag- 
nificent organ is heard, and the distant voices of the white- 
robed choristers chanting from the sacristy, as thev walk in 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 1").") 

procession of twos to their places in the chancel, when the 
full melody of their fine voices is heard to advantage, accom- 
panied by the powerful strains of the organ ; it is an occasion 
of great feeling and religious fervor. The large overflow 
gathering of worshippers remain patiently in their standing 
position, listening to the eloquent preaching of the pastor, 
Dr. Dix. 

Before the morning service commences, the sonorous tones 
of the fine chime of bells is heard on the above-mentioned 
days to much advantage, and they pour forth with their iron 
tongues a glowing melody of sacred song, with much sweet- 
ness of expression, reminding one of years gone by, when 
the distant church-bells of old English towns and hamlets 
used to burst on the biographer's ears, while strolling along 
the banks of the river Thames, near Oxford or Eton colleges. 

Farther up Broadway, near Union Square, is Grace 
Church, quite a superior, Episcopalian denomination, very 
genteel church, and exceedingly English in many of its 
ways, and most of the congregation are very rich. Grace 
Church has had several munificent bequests left by the aged 
members of this edifice, some of whom seem to vie with one 
another as to how large a sum can be expended on new 
church vestries and similar enlargements and improvements. 
Many of the worshippers' carriages and fine horses, richly 
caparisoned, with the well-clothed attendant coachmen and 
footmen, in their long overcoats, all obsequious to their rich 
employers, are thoroughly "London" in the upper classes. 
Also the driving up to the church doors, with a dashing pair of 
bays curvetting and prancing, the footman jumps down from 
the box seat, opens the brougham door, and stands immov- 
able till his master or mistress disappears out of sight, shuts 
the door with a bang, rejoins the coachman, who whips up his 
horses to the neighboring mews of Murray Hill or elsewhere. 

But let us follow the owners of the equipage into the 
vestibule of Grace Church, where ,e observe the word 
'• silence " conspicuously placed on the walls of the entrance 
hall ; and certainly a solemnity seems to reign supreme in 
this sacred place, with its fine architectural proportions and 
artistic stained-glass windows, and quite a subdued light 
within. A choir of four voices, a very superior quartet, 



156 RAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

supposed to be as good as any in the State, are here, and the 
singing of the soprano was indeed splendid ; also the other 
three singers in their particular parts were equal to any 
church soloists to be met with. Where there is good sacred 
singing, one invariably finds excellent organ accompaniment ; 
such was the case in this place. The rector, Rev. Dr. 
Henry C. Potter, is well known to New Yorkers, and many 
others outside of the Empire State, as a gentleman of great 
eloquence and ability ; his fine intonation and modulation of 
voice are irresistible ; added to which, his commanding pres- 
ence, in or out of the pulpit, carries his listeners with him in 
his brilliant discourses of religious teaching. On Saturday, 
Oct. 20, 18*3, such an assemblage took place in Grace 
Church as is seldom witnessed in our plain times of church 
history, to behold the consecration of the Rev. H. C. Potter 
to the office of Assistant Bishop of the diocese of New York. 
The ceremonies were very imposing, and participated in by 
forty bishops and over six hundred clergymen. Such an 
array of ecclesiastics was enough to turn the head of the 
young, newly consecrated Bishop Potter, by the sight of so 
many surpliced brethren. 

New York Catholic Cathedral. 

Among the many fine church edifices in the metropolis, 
the lately erected Catholic cathedral is perhaps the finest in 
America. The architectural beauty of the whole building 
is almost unsurpassed on this continent ; the expensive and 
artistic masonry work of figure cutting must have cost im- 
mense sums of money, while the interior is most gorgeous in 
design and decoration ; the beautiful arch and groined roof, 
down to the tesselated pavement, were all in keeping with the 
sacredness and solemness of the structure. We observed 
many very fine paintings, some of great size, executed by 
old and modern artists. The afternoon vespers being about 
to commence, our party were courteously conducted to a pew, 
where we listened to a very excellent and sensible sermon 
by the officiating priest, interspersed by some good singing 
by the choristers, aided by a band of instrumental musicians 
and some other singers from the gallery. This cathedral is 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 157 

worthy a visit to the stranger in the city, and also its being 
situated in one of the leading thoroughfares, up town, and 
adjacent to Central Park, commends its attractiveness : for 
the pleasant walks and drives in and around the park 
are charming in fine, weather. The beautiful green verdure 
of the grassy lawns is seen to great advantage here, while 
an inspection of the menagerie of all kinds of animals and 
birds is also worthy attention. 

New York Confidence Men, and their Victims. 

The writer of these rambles recently having occasion to 
visit New York, will, as concisely as possible, relate an expe- 
rience with two confidence men, as a warning to others who 
may travel around. Though an occasional visitor to New 
York, yet one's appearance must have attracted these would- 
be sharpers. On emerging from my hotel, satchel in hand, 
and passing along City Hall Place, near lower Broadway, a 
pleasant-spoken, smiling man accosted me, and said, ' ; How 
do you do, Capt. Shaw? I am so glad to see you," and other 
fulsome compliments. Now, as I never had the honor of 
holding the rank of captain, I smiled, and said my name was 
not Capt. Shaw, and that he was mistaken. The fellow 
declared he was not mistaken. I indignantly and foolishly 
fell into his trap, by saying, '"My name is not Shaiv, but 
Pairpoitit, of New Bedford." Then the stranger was very 
profuse in his apologies for his mistake, bowed and left 
me. I had forgotten the encounter, when some quarter of 
an hour afterwards, in quite another part of the city, a taller 
stranger rushes up to me, smiling and beaming, calls me by 
name, shakes hands, and inquires how all were in New Bed- 
ford, how business was, and that he once lived there, and 
would I oblige him by taking some samples of cloth to New 
Bedford to friends of his. As he pleaded so strongly, and 
seemed so earnest to do business, I finally consented to take 
the samples ; but lo, he had not them with him ; they were at 
his office just around the corner! Before I had realized the 
situation, he had stopped a horse-car and we both entered, 
as it was raining heavily. My good-natured friend paid the 
fare for both of us ; and then, as if an inspiration came over 



158 KAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

me, I thought rapidly and with some consternation, " I am 
in the hands of ' confidence men ' ; and once in their clutches 
in some saloon den, my life will not be worth much, unless 
I freely give up all my money at the mockery of a game 
at cards with other confederates of the gang." Quick as 
thought I returned the ten cents to the fellow (for car ride), 
who, in a faltering voice, as he apparently saw "his little 
game was up," asked. "Why pay me?" Rising from my 
seat and fronting him, I answered, "If you want to know 
why, I will tell you ; but advise you not to ask a second 
time." Stopping the car at once, in a loud tone of voice, 
so that the other passengers could hear, I inquired of the 
conductor if he knew the man who sat next to me. He 
answered, " No." " Anyway," I said, " do not let him out 
for a few moments, for if he follows me, I will have him 
arrested." I alighted, and pursued my way unmolested, yet 
with some misgivings of being waylaid by some of the con- 
fidence thieving crowd. 

I take the liberty of recounting this experience to my 
readers of an attempt in broad daylight at extortionate rob- 
bery by a gang of men who, when successful, fatten on their 
victims by this system of confidence extortion, when in the 
villains' power. 

A more suave, polite-appearing class is scarcely to be met- 
with than these scouts of a den of thieves, who infest all 
large cities, and waylay the unwary. Having travelled ex- 
tensively, the world over, I do not know how I came almost 
to fall into their net by giving my real name. As a warning 
to others who might commit the same error, never hold con- 
verse in any way with strangers in or on the street, nor be 
tempted to say who you are : otherwise, ill-usage, drugging, 
and robbery, or perhaps worse, might be the result from 
contact with these eyesores of society, who live in laziness 
all their days, from the pockets of their occasional prey. 

Coney Island, 1882, 1883, 1889. 

This favorite seashore resort, situated a short distance 
from New York City, differs materially to-day from what it 
was twenty-live years ago, when quiet family people would 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 159 

journey there for the fine sea bathing and fresh sea breezes. 
What changes are there now! Certainly, the bathing and 
breezes remain, but all comfort of seaside quietude is gone 
forever to those of steady-going habits. 

In the place of a few unassuming cottages of years ago, 
•colossal palace hotels now reign supreme, with miles of 
avenues and pleasure grounds ; bands of music are attached 
to each hotel, and sometimes they number as man}' as sixty 
performers. Gilmore, Levy, and other eminent soloist musi- 
cians are there in the course of the season, with their respec- 
tive bands ; the enormous expense for music alone to the 
hotel proprietors must be a very heavy item of expenditure, 
but the business done no doubt compensates for the outlay. 
Coney Island is a great place for a day's excursion, and 
many thousands of persons from the adjacent cities, in the 
hot season, avail themselves of this cool, breezy, gay place, 
enlivened as it is with every amusement the heart can desire. 
But to stay at the hotels, as myriads do every summer, 
must be tiresome ; the noise and turmoil of so much pleasure 
seeking becomes very wearisome and monotonous in a short 
while, except to the fast, giddy young men or women who 
frequent Coney Island often. 

The miles of long stretch of beautiful sandy beach is un- 
. surpassed, and will always be the same to the lovers of bath- 
ing, for Nature cannot be altered ; but the wonderful trans- 
formation of a quiet retreat, in times past, to a summer's 
carnival of pleasure, is almost surprising in its change. 

Early in September, 1889, great havoc was clone Coney 
Island by a fearful gale of wind and surf, lasting several 
clays, and in part destroying the hotels aud Manhattan Rail- 
way by its great violeuce. 

Jerome Park Races. 

This fashionable resort for running races is much patron- 
ized in the season. Situated but a short railway ride from 
New York, it is a very pleasant spot for such recreation. 
The same as in England, most of the racing here is by 
saddle-horse running, with jockey riders in appropriate cos- 
tume of silk jacket, velvet cap, short pants, and top boots 



1GU RAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

completing the costume of the little men in miniature who 
bestride the thoroughbred colts. 

The excitement and risk of the flat and hurdle races is 
sometimes attended with sad results ; though the owners and 
book-makers of the high-mettled steeds do not care for the 
fatalities of flood and field, so that their favorite horses do 
but win by getting first place, and the}' can pocket the bet- 
ting proceeds. 

We witnessed, while there, a dismounted jockey, lying 
lifeless on the green grass, thrown violently from his horse, 
while racing at break-neck speed, till the poor, excited ani- 
mal threw his rider to the ground by stumbling, then re- 
covered itself, and at once, with the instinct of being first at 
the judges' stand, dashed wildly on, riderless, around the 
course, till stopped by the grooms. 

Jefferson Market Police Court. 

Strolling into the above place one afternoon, a case of un- 
requited love was made manifest. A young Creole girl 
preferred the charge of annoyance against a young man a 
few shades darker than herself. She told the magistrate 
how she had been subjected to much annoyance by the per- 
sistency of the prisoner following her about wherever she 
went, and wanting to walk with her. In answer to the com- 
plaint, the young mulatto said they were once engaged to be 
married, but lately Juliana had refused his addresses, and 
tried to shun him, but he loved her so, he could not live 
without her. The kind-hearted justice tried to make a recon- 
ciliation between them, but the dark-complexioned lady 
would not listen to the magistrate's conciliatory words, and 
turning her back on her devoted admirer, exclaimed, " I 
never would have him as long as he lived ! " The Court, 
fiuding his efforts unavailing to make peace and reunited 
love between them, told the ardent young darky that the 
penalty of annoying the girl was to be sent to jail for one 
week, as a lesson to him, and to cool his ardor in running 
after young girls who cared nothing for him. When the 
magistrate's decision was given, the tears streamed down the 
dusky face of the would-be lover with such painful force 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 161 

that the justice relented, by sending the girl away first, and 
finished up by giving poor weeping sable tl Romeo" a repri- 
manding and dismissal, with the full promise never to annoy 
his Juliana again. 

Among the many curious robberies in New lork City, 
one was told the writer, of a young woman of an unfortunate 
class, who, on going into a liquor saloon at night for some 
cordial, stupidly took a roll of bank bills from out of one of 
her stockings. The idle, thieving ruffians, who hang around 
bars, opened their greedy eyes at the sight of the girl's 
money; they speedily followed her to a lone'y street, then 
violently seizing her by the waist, threw her bodily into an 
empty ash-barrel (head foremost), so that the thieves could 
the more readily rob the poor miserable woman of the money 
from its hiding-place. 

Some friends and the narrator were coming home late at 
night from a grand masquerade ball, and passing through 
one of the side streets, between Broadway and the Bowery, 
in the gloom and shadow, a few yards distant, we beheld 
three men. One was quite drunk, aud propped up against 
the railing of a house, while his companions were busy rob- 
bing him, without violence, however. As we hurried 
towards them, the highway robbers ran different ways : and 
as we passed the intoxicated man, we heard him exclaim, 
•• What are you doing to me? Leave me alone ! " So much 
for drunkenness and saloon companions, to be robbed and 
fleeced almost under the shadow of the police headquarters. 

A newly appointed police magistrate in New York City, 
some years ago, combined a small business as bronze manu- 
facturer with the meting out of justice. One day, one of 
his workmen, noted for irregularities, was brought before the 
justice for the misdemeanor of drunkenness. The magis- 
trate, of course, pretended not to know the delinquent, and 
gravely gave the prisoner a severe lecture of reprimand, and 
inflicted a nominal fine. Even this small amount the defend- 
ant did not possess, but sat in a dazed sort of way within 
the enclosure of the court till the money was forthcoming. 
Towards the end of the day's official business, the justice, 
wiping his glasses to go home, apparently for the first time 
noticed the trembling and penitent workman sitting there. 



162 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

and severely said, " What do you want here?" The half- 
sobered man replied, in a nervous tone, "■ I have not paid my 
fine, your Honor ! " The administrator of the law paid the 
money, and with much pretended harshness exclaimed, " Get 
out of here ! " The now really sober man was not long get- 
ting awa}-, down street. What a pity it is, the wretched 
appetite for strong drink ! This trembling and abject crea- 
ture was well known to be a thoroughly good mechanic (often 
the case with drinking- men) , and situations with excellent 
wages were freely offered to him, without avail ; he never 
could work steadily, the result being a chronic state of hard- 
up in money matters, invariably winding up with penury and 
misery, and, if possible, worse than that. 

The Summer Sanitary Corps of New York City. 

Forty-eight physicians and two female doctors, recently 
appointed by the Board of Health, started on their mission 
of mercy to alleviate suffering humanity on the sunny, scorch- 
ing 1st of July, 18!)0. This corps of the medical fraternity, 
under the guidance of the sanitary commissioner, inspect the 
tenement districts of the sick and poor during the heated 
term of July and August, visiting, counselling, bringing hope 
and life to thousands of needy families. Few cities have a 
better organized or more generous charity than this, a charity 
which the poor and lowly may all accept without any false 
notions of independence. We all know what the side and 
back street miseries of large cities, like New York's over- 
crowded tenements, are like ; squalor, indigent poverty, 
neglect, and suffering and other causes produce much sick- 
ness, particularly among the young and helpless The laud- 
able system of distributing circulars in English, German, and 
Italian, .giving simple instructions for the treatment of sick 
children, is a humane benevolence worthy of imitation by 
crowded cities generally. The physicians thus appointed, 
in their mission of good work, receive at the rate of one hun- 
dred dollars per month. 

The census men of 1890, having completed their task of 
enumeration of the United States, state the figures amount 
to <J-1 ,00\000. This nation, which at the struggle for hide- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 163 

pendence some three generations ago, was hardly 3,000,000 
strong, now outranks in population all the great powers, ex- 
cepting Russia. This marvellous and rapid growth of popu- 
lation and progress is in a measure the outcome of the con- 
stant influx of cosmopolitan emigration, in conjunction with 
American enterprise. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park. 

Numerous are the visitors and residents in New York who 
neglect the opportunity of visiting the above-named Museum 
of Art, either through the want of kuowledge of the gems 
contained, or some other cause. The pictures by old and 
modern masters in the eastern galleries are worthy many 
hours' attention, and are such as to engross the artistic taste 
of student and connoisseur alike, in the excellence of the 
many talented paintings produce'd. Among the names of 
artists of distinguished ability may be mentioned those of 
David Teniers, of the Flemish school of old masters, Sir 
Joshua Reynolds and Sir Peter Lely, of English renown of 
ancient masters ; while France is ably represented by the won- 
derful modern works of that famed artist, Meissonier, and 
the celebrated '-Horse Fair" picture of Rosa Bonheur. 
The galleries of modern sculptures in the hall are well worthy 
of close attention ; the statuary therein exhibited are very in- 
teresting products of the sculptor's chisel, while in the rooms 
devoted to artistic silver and bronze work there is much to 
charm the connoisseur in metals, wrought out with great 
manipulation and skill by the cunning hand of man into such 
beautiful shapes and of fine design in embossing and chasing. 
Porcelain, in every variety of shape and color, is also exhib- 
ited here in the galleries, of which the eye never wearies of 
its many beauties. 

Near by the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the building 
devoted to Natural History, and to all lovers of natural 
science a sight is here worthy of much admiration, from 
small insects to the largest quadrupeds in Nature, which are 
in well-preserved condition, and arranged in classified order 
of their species. 



164 



RAMBLES IX AMERICA. 



American Peculiarities. 

Ill American small towns or cities the custom is somewhat 
peculiar, in regard to their houses. In many cases, when a 
visitor calls, the initiated scarcely ever makes for the front 
door in asking admittance, but invariably goes to the back 
or side door, which is generally left unfastened. The front 
approach, or best entrance, is hermetically sealed by being 
bolted and double-locked; consequently the bolts and liars 



'^MMk^f^^l^M^w-^^^ 



^m* 




get rusty from cvery-dav want of use, — so much so that 
when a novice of a caller ventures up the front steps and 
rings the door-bell, there is much turning of keys, and a gen- 
eral wrestling of unused, rusty locks is the result ; and a look 
of chagrin from the housewife to the bold invader, for break- 
ing the spell of closed doors. What the motive is, it is hard 
to say, unless it may be to protect the parlor carpet from 
muddy boots, or perhaps a gladsome ray of sunshine might 
dart into the- sanctum and spoil the furniture. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 165 

Another peculiarity in soire country towns is, that a 
stranger may pass through streets of houses and never once 
see a living form in the front part of the dwellings. It re- 
sembles a village in a state of seige ; window shutters closed 
in barricaded sorts of rooms, excluding God's blessings of 
air and light. But the economical housewife would exclaim, 
41 My best carpet from the sun and dust must be saved, and 
in the winter the cold must be kept out." All the domestic 
business of an American home is generally transacted at the 
back or side doors of the house ; and perhaps it is a piece 
of impertinence of the writer to question such ways. 

Meeting an American acquaintance, with very blackened 
face, we inquired the reason of the .<oot. He replied, "I 
have been wrestling with a stove." From the term, one 
would imply that a pugilistic encounter had taken place ; 
not so at all ; the stove needed a thorough cleaning with 
black lead, and bad, in the figurative language of our friend, 
to be ''wrestled with"; because, one would suppose, the 
stove didn't like it. Then again, that old bone of contention 
between husband and wife, the refixing of stove-pipe,, when 
more harsh words are used on the occasion than any since 
the pair were united in wedlock. 

In due time the house-cleaning of spring and fall comes 
around in American homes, and it is something wonderful to 
behold ; the busy matron enveloped in a large apron, the 
female help clad in the same way, with a turban also on her 
head ; and both mistress and maid make a clear onslaught 
on the devoted home, on a certain day ; every carpet is taken 
up. and every picture taken down ; the bedding hung out of 
the window ; everybody cross and ill-tempered ; babies, if 
there are any, always crying amidst the confusion of sweep- 
ing, scrubbing, window-cleaning, etc. ; in fact, everything is 
turned topsy-turvy. Then a thoroughly true housewife, when 
she has made everybody miserable and herself worn out with 
the periodical house-cleaning, sits down and has a good cry ; 
but a reaction at last takes place ; the carpets and furniture 
are allowed to be replaced, and the poor, chop-fallen husband 
is permitted to come home in peace once more, till the next 
six months is up, and then the cleaning goes on again. The 
cleanliness and thriftiness of American homes are worth v 



166 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

of imitation by other countries ; if ever so humble, the 
abodes in America are invariably neat and cleanly ; the best 
is made of a little, oftentimes, and the houses are never 
slovenly. In truth, the wages earned in this country are 
sufficient to secure and keep good homes, if the husband is a 
temperate and industrious person, and the wife a willing- 
helper. 

The mania of weighing and being weighed is quite an in- 
stitution in the United States amongst all classes, from the 
rich land-owner down to the poorest artisan ; all have the 
infection ; it is practised on the new-born baby, a few hours 
old, and goes on from the school-boy and school miss in 
their teens to the decrepid old man and woman. If a sum- 
mer's vacation is on hand, a rush for the scales is made by 
both sexes, to keep account how much flesh is gained or lost 
during the holiday trip ; if a headache or toothache occurs, 
the weighing business is again in requisition ; if some persons 
are sick twenty-four hours, and the scales are to be got at, 
the balance of probable loss is calculated with minute exact- 
ness. On Saturdays the school-children copy their elder-. 
and have their picnics in the weighing line, to the annoyance 
of the family grocer; the youngsters trotting 'around tin- 
neighborhood, in and out of every store that keeps Fair- 
banks's standard or any other weighing machines ; and when 
thoroughly tired out, go home, report, their condition of so 
many pounds more or less than a week ago, and then make 
an inroad into the Saturday's baked beans ; and try by that 
means to recover their status of weight, if any is lost. 

Of the observances of most American funerals, the usual 
custom is to give notice by newspapers or otherwise of tin- 
death of the deceased, and relatives and friends are invited 
to the house of mourning on a certain day ; religious ser- 
vices are generally held at the residence of the departed 
one, and all the formula of a mixed gathering takes place. 
People from all parts come ; some who never knew the 
deceased, but wish to be present, perhaps to hear the death- 
lesson inculcated, or more frequently from morbid curiosity : 
women with shawls and dresses of every variety of color, 
red feathers and green veils on the bonnets or hats ; in 
fact, no semblance of outward mourning or w e is notice- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 167 

able ; the corpse is viewed after the clergyman's remarks, 
and the sight-seers go away, satisfied with having done their 
duty. Some of the old ladies (regular attenders) boast of 
how many funerals they attend in a week, and seemed sur- 
prised that others do not follow the same example. This 
reminds the writer of an anecdote, several years ago, when 
hanging was prevalent for minor offences in England ; one 
friend met another, inquiring why the other was not at the 
execution lately; the friend replied that he "seldom went 
to any hangings now, — in fact, he scarcely took auy kind 
of pleasures lately." 

Whether it is the nature of the climate of America, or 
force of habit that cannot be controlled, or something else, 
it is difficult to say what causes such unpleasant expectora- 
tion from so man} - males and females in this country. One 
might almost imagine this vast continent a suffering multi- 
tude of persons afflicted with catarrh. Nothing can be more 
unfortunate than an affliction of this kind (whether real or 
imaginary, is left open to doubt). Not only young people, 
but their elders practise this disagreeable habit of coughing, 
expectorating, and spitting the day long, and then go for 
that panacea of all cures, the water-faucet. Fifty times a 
day, or more, is the incessant demand made on the water- 
supply tank, for those supposed to be suffering with catarrh, 
or those idly-disposed ones, just to pass the time, listlessly 
waiting, while a quantity of water wastes away, to get a 
glass or two of the cool beverage. When one enters a hotel 
dining-room the obsequious waiter speedily brings a glass of 
water, however cold the weather may be. Ice-water, of 
course, is used in such large quantities during the summer 
season, as oftentimes does more mischief to the stomachs of 
the imbibers than the worst kind of rum they could swallow ; 
competent medical authorities have proved this. It is far 
from the writer's intention to recommend strong liquors, 
except when strictly necessary in cases of sickness ; but 
much safer drinks than ice-water, to pour into overheated 
bodies, are lemonade, tea, coffee, barley-water, etc., to 
assuage one's thirst with, and satisfy the yearning for some- 
thing liquid, in the hot season of the year. 

Another curious feature here, amongst the voung men 



168 RAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

generally, occurs whenever a theatrical performance (or 
show, as it is called in country towns) takes place. When 
the amusement is over, a long file of men and bo\'S in line 
fringe the edge of the sidewalk, their motto being, one would 
suppose, to see and be seen ; also stare ladies out of coun- 
tenance, make all kinds of remarks, good, bad, and indif- 
ferent, to those who emerge from opera house and con- 
cert hall. Even church-going folks do not escape being 
looked over, for the i,ou»g body-guard is always on hand, 
and ever on duty in all kinds of weather, to watch their vic- 
tims, oftentimes for slander or criticism. Why this standing 
abuse is passively submitted to by pastors of churches, and 
allowed by the police authorities, is a mystery to many, and 
an enigma to others ; the sidewalks should be swept off, 
and kept clear of such ill-mannered people. 

Still another ; a most peculiar notion some young men 
have, in storm or sunshine, is that of hanging or loafing 
about the most public street corners, and during evenings 
loitering in doorways, staring females out of countenance as 
they pass by, chewing and spitting on the sidewalks most 
offensively, making the promenade at these coiners far from 
pleasant. The police sometimes make a faint effort to stop 
this nuisarce, but in a mild sort of way, truly in such a man- 
ner that the idlers still exist, and the evil continues. A 
Saturday night's promenade in most towns is something re- 
markable. Stores are open late, and a constant flow of 
pedestrians is kept up ; young men and girls do the " go as 
you please" walk till their limbs ache, and then they dissolve 
(like the witches in " Macbeth") into thin air to their habi- 
tations. 

While on this subject of peculiarities, and with all due def- 
erence to Americans of every class, one word on the item 
of dress (men's dress, of course). Without doubt, the 
majority of citizens of this country are better clad than any 
other nation in the world ; the skilled artisan of this continent 
appears invariably well dressed, and bears comparison with 
others in different countries ; the circumstances of better 
paid wages gives the resident mechanics here a much fitter 
opportunity to dress well ; they can afford it, and they have 
the good taste as well as the means to do it; and we find 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 169 

the new-comers from the other side of the Atlantic speedily 
fall into the same views ; discarding their old-fashioned 
coats, with rounded shoulders, for others of American cut 
and style, though that sort of style is somewhat overdone. 
A Yankee, full dressed in a winter overcoat, if he is ever so 
thin and spare, will look a goodly sized man, in the big- 
garment of innumerable paddings ; the coat shoulders are 
wadded and padded, and stick out like a*soldier's epaulet ; 
and it is very ludicrous sometimes to observe, while walking 
behind these lay figures in an overcoat, the different move- 
ments of the arms ; for as they move up to the shoulder, that 
part of the limb remains stationary, as it is encased in a bed 
of padding, giving the moving individual an appearance of 
one of Mrs. Jarley's wax-work figures, on the rampage, just 
wound up for the day. A notable feature oftentimes with 
young Americans of both sexes is, that they seem invariably 
to have gone to school with almost every one of their 
acquaintances who is mentioned in their hearing, a pecu- 
liarity quite common among all classes. 

"Surprise Parties" in America. 

Surprise parties in the United States are an institution 
entirely its own. A number of friends arrange together to 
have a good time at a certain person's house, who is supposed 
to be surprised, and whom most of the conspirators know. 
Music is provided and refreshments of all kinds are generally 
very liberally brought b} 7 the ladies of the party. The band 
of surprisers meet at an acquaintance's residence at a stated 
hour ; then the little procession pairs off, each person carry- 
ing a pot of beans, a pie, or basket of eatables ; the} 7 march 
to the victims' dwelling, burst in upon them, and take pos- 
session of the house or tenement. Then comes the fun. A 
number of the lady visitors put on clean aprons, and attend 
to the culinary department in the kitchen, preparatory for 
supper ; others go in for music, dancing, and flirting ; while 
some of the ladies and gentlemen of the party appear as if 
they were carved out of stone or wood, so inanimate are they ; 
sitting listlessly yawning, and staring at one another ; seem- 
ing to take no interest in anything, and utterly wearied with 



170 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

the surprise business. The master or mistress of the house, 
whether they are surprised or not, always endeavor to 
pretend they are, ami bustle about good-naturedly, making 
everybody welcome to their home. The writer of these 
sketches has spent some very agreeable evenings at these 
gatherings, in the pleasant society of kind friends and ac- 
quaintances. 

• 

The Hack Office. 

Idlers at the hack office are a curious mixture of transient 
and stationary humanity, something between the barbers raid 
shoemakers — shop gossips ; the livery-stable sanctum is the 
great emporium centre of attractive outpouring of thought. 
From early morn till dewy eve the news is gathered in from 
far and wide of people's doings, in. the city and out of it : any 
passers-by are swiftly chronicled, criticised, and looked over 
by the idlers, w r ho seem to spend most of their existence in 
lounging around the office and barn of a livery stable, lazily 
reading newspapers, spitting, chewing, and occasionally en- 
forcing their arguments in low, coarse language, and some- 
times comparing notes of disparagement on other men's 
horses, in or out of town. The proprietors of livery stables 
are generally a decent set of hard-working men, who would 
be glad to get rid of. their daily pests (the barn-idlers), 
who hang about the hack office like an incubus. When in- 
dustriously inclined for an odd job, they make an effort to 
drive, being too lazy to pull off their coats and work at a 
trade like a man, but prefer to fritter away their time 
amidst the close odors of a stable. What on earth is the 
attraction at the hack offices? Is it the fondness for horses? 
If so, why not imitate the dumb creatures, and work, like 
them, for their living ; if, on the other hand, it is sheer idle- 
ness, we cannot envy their choice, shut in a little room, a 
few feet square, inhaling the unwholesome atmosphere of 
stale, reeking tobacco, or probably giving and taking coarse 
jokes, not in a very commendable manner. The regularly 
employed drivers and hostlers at livery stables look on with 
contempt at the " loafers," who seem to be always in the 
way. 



GAMBLES IN AMERICA. 171 

American Sewing Societies and Festival. 

. These • associations, somewhat peculiar to the United 
States, consist of companies of ladies, who elect from their 
own bod} 7 a president, secretary and other officers, their 
praiseworthy object being to assist the .poor by the labor of 
their nimble fingers. The members each subscribe' so many 
dollars annually, to form a fund for materials, charitable 
gifts, etc. Meetings for business are held weekly, and the 
sewing work is performed at the houses of all the members 
in turn, and sometimes in the parlor of the church to which 
the members of the society belong. This is unquestionably 
a good institution to assist the poor ; yet the ill-natured have 
denounced some of these gatherings as mere coteries for 
gossip and scandal of their neighbors. Be this as it may, 
these societies are exceedingly creditable to the female por- 
tion of America, on account of the sympathy and aid they 
furnish to the poor, gladdening the hearts of the desolate by 
the timely gifts of clothing in the severe seasons. These 
societies occasionally give a grand fete, or fancy fair, to help 
the exchequer, when the gentleman friends are invited to 
assist in the business arrangements. 

The writer had the pleasure of serving as one of the com- 
mittee, and was much struck by the profuse liberality of the 
townspeople in bringing gifts in aid of the festival, such as 
cakes of every description, tarts, hams, tongues, pumpkin, 
pies, artificial and natural flowers, fancy ornaments, etc., 
and other presents to grace the counters of the fair traders in 
the bazaar. Several gentlemen, mostly clergymen, addressed 
the meeting on the subject of temperance, and the evil con- 
sequences of its opposite. 

We may here mention an ingenious Yankee device for 
drawing the dollars from the visitors' pockets. Independ- 
ently of the stalls for the sale of fancy goods, a miniature 
post-office was erected ; a gay-looking structure, adorned 
with flags and flowers, looking indeed more like a beautiful 
boudoir than a post-office ; to serve at which, a pretty young 
lady was selected as post-mistress, in order to attract the 
young gentlemen, and induce them to inquire at the office for 
letters. The fair president of the mail then asks them the 



172 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

name of the letter inquired for, and other young ladies are 
inside, acting as clerks, who quickly write the name given on 
the envelopes of the letters, which are handed to the appli- 
cant on payment of fifteen cents. Should the young gal- 
lants offer a larger coin, he seldom gets any change, as the 
object is to receive every tiling, give back nothing. The 
insides of the letters contain bits of poetry, feigned lovers' 
epistles, moral maxims and a variety of subjects suitable for 
either sex. the missives for ladies and gentlemen being care- 
fully kept apart to prevent confusion. 

In later years, sewing-circles are getting more in the spirit 
of the age, about once in every two weeks. Young people are 
invited to these social gatherings ; the girls are supposed to 
assist the elder ladies in sewing, but their eyes are more often 
fixed on the entrance door, the later hour in the evening being 
tin- advent of the young men escorts, who claim they come to 
fetch their sisters, cousins, or nieces home ; but we are inclined 
naturally to believe that the young gallants' object is to carry 
home some one else's sister, other than their own, by the sit- 
ting apart from the older ladies at supper, and playing off 
the flirtations that old and young are mostly so fond of 
under the shadow of the church, and in the presence of the 
good-natured pastor and his wife, who look smilingly on at 
the turtle-doves. 

Drinking Practices in America. 

" 'Prink, drink,' the demon cried : 
• Away with care and sorrow ; 
Be happy while yon can to-day. 
And never mind the morrow.' " 

The bar-rooms, or saloons, in the United States, differ 
materially from those in England, for few of them have a 
vestige of a seat, however tired a person may be. Yet 
the license authorities in Boston, 1S!)0, have established 
the law that bar-drinking shall be abolished, and every 
applicant for a dram must be seated at a table, and the 
beverage brought to him. And though they have loads of 
bottles, liquors, and cigars, there are few attempts at show 
and splendor, at any rate in the Eastern States, that 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 173 

characterize the Western States and some parts of Europe. 
When two friends meet (particularly in large cities) and 
shake hands, the first words after the welcome universally 
are, " I guess we'll liquor," or have a drink ; then adjourn 
to the bar. If brandy or whiskey be the stimulant called 
for, a bottle, containing perhaps a quart, and nearly full, 
is handed to the customers, with a couple of small tumblers, 
into which they pour what they please ; and as there is no 
fixed limit, a greedy dram-drinker may regale himself to his 
content at low cost. The more general custom in these bar- 
rooms is just to cover the bottom of the glass with the 
liquor, gulp it down, and then cross over the road to some 
other dram-shop, to get another dose, and so on ; the price 
of each drink being ten cents for liquors, and five cents for 
lager (and of course the charge is more at hotels) ; thus 
enabling those who wish, to get drunk at a small expense ; 
for the American liquor, be it remembered, is considerably 
above proof, and very fiery and impure. As for good liquors, 
they can, of course, be purchased at a certain price, but 
only at the best and most respectable hotels. It were, 
undoubtedly, much to be desired that the bad habit of dram- 
drinking should gradually diminish in operation, for it pre- 
vails among all classes of the community, and entails much 
misery and privation to wives and poor children of drinking- 
men. 

There is a peculiarity in American bar-rooms that would 
be well worthy of imitation in other countries ; never, 
scarcely, does one see a woman enter them, either as an 
applicant for drink or to serve behind the bar. We do not, 
of course, mean that women there do not partake of the 
inebriating cup (whether beer or spirits) at all, but very 
seldom are those disgusting scenes of female intoxication 
and debauchery seen on the streets of American cities that 
are daily occurrences in London and most of the great towns 
throughout the British Empire. When such habits are in- 
dulged in by American women who are abroad, it is not at 
public bars, but when they are sitting quietly in oyster and 
other so-called saloons, protected by curtained partitions 
from the public view; and granted, even, that this shows a 
bad state of morals, females do not incur that loss of self- 



174 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

respect which would result from their exposure in the garish 
brilliance of au open English bar. Also, there are none of 
those pretty, well-dressed, showy, and coquettish barmaids, 
who are too often employed as a lure to attract liquorish- 
toothed elderly and young men, who often spend hours in 
chatting to and flattering the girls behind the counter — the 
chief object of whose graciousness and amiability is to 
bring grist to their employer's mill, and laugh in their sleeve 
at the dangling gallants. 

Country Boarding-houses. 

The boarding-houses of America, especially in country 
parts, are matters of necessity to a single man ; in some 
villages and towns there are neither hotels nor restaurants, 
so that he has no alternative. Different customs prevail in 
establishments of this kind, but when the rate of payment 
is generally high, it is rather hard to be compelled to eat 
whatever a landlady may choose to provide, whether agree- 
able to the palate or not, or whether one be sick or in 
health. Nevertheless, like the laws of the Medes and the 
Persians, which never alter, the arrangements cannot be 
changed ; and, therefore, at first we felt this mode of living 
somewhat tiresome, though one gets used to it, after a time, 
and could relish apple or pumpkin pies for breakfast as well 
as the best of them. 

The private boarding-houses, in pleasant families, are 
agreeable enough ; but when a boarder is daily reminded by 
a stingy proprietress of the high price of provisions, or 
some family squabble is reproduced at the dinner, one is apt 
to leave it with any but agreeable impressions. 

At one of the houses where the writer resided, we had an 
old landlady about whose dinners there was a peculiarity 
quite the reverse of pleasant. At a stated time, say twelve 
o'clock, all the boarders were supposed to be in their places 
at the dinner-table ; but the old lady, the presiding genius 
of the house, and her husband also, would insist upon having 
the dinner served up half an hour previously, in order to 
supply to each individual his or her portion. 

The idea was capital, and a master-stroke of economy ; 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 175 

bat the result unhappily was, that we always had a cold 
dinner, which is anything but agreeable. Yet the boarders 
submitted to this martinet's whims without a murmur, fear- 
ing to be unpopular with her, if the}* interfered. 

This same lady was quite a character, in her way, for she 
devoted herself with especial diligence to the reading of 
newspapers. Her depth in this sort of knowledge was 
immense ; and with such skill in political lore, that she could 
fully sustain an argument on any subject, however great the 
opposition, rocking her two-hundred-pound body, meanwhile, 
in her sturdy rocking-chair, and laying down the law so 
loudly, and with such strong emphasis, that she soon drove 
her opponents from the field. 

One more anecdote respecting her, and we have done. 
The sultry, hot days of Jul}' and August threw the chronicler 
into a low fever, during which, I must in justice say, the old 
lady attended me with great kindness. One day, however, 
I was feeling worse than usual, having no relatives in the 
township, and being despondent and lonely, which doubtless 
was portrayed in my looks; when, perhaps for the purpose 
of cheering the patient, this Job's comforter in petticoats 
observed, '-Young man, it would be a great pity, I guess, 
to have to bury you so far away from your friends ! " 

AVhile on the subject of boarding-houses, let us observe 
that a great deal depends on the boarder making himself as 
agreeable as he can to the host and hostess, as well as to the 
other guests of the house ; for a sour-tempered person will 
find himself subjected to a thousand petty annoyances. In 
many families with whom we have resided, we can speak in 
the highest terms of praise, both of their general household 
arrangements and individual kind attentions. 

Divorces in America. 

Divorces on the American continent are alarmingly on the 
increase, particularly in the New England States. Compe- 
tent authorities say, in this section of the country as many 
as "two thousand families are broken up, every year," as the 
practical result of the free-and-easy facilities of procuring 
divorces. It is no uncommon sight to witness a mere girl- 



176 RAMBLES IN' AMERICA. 

wife, sometimes the mother of one or two children, called a 
•• divorced woman," and oftentimes she seems proud of the 
appellation ; though invariably the young wife has to return 
home to her father and mother, or perhaps has to go hack to 
the old drudgery of workship or mill, which she thought she 
had escaped from, by marrying a good and kind husband. 
If her friends are in a well-to-do position, the "divorced 
wife " becomes an inmate of the old home, and lapses into 
a sort of domestic eyesore. The husband, lie he young or 
old, feels that he is a free man again, can flirt with other 
women, and the world smiles benignly on. He dreams of 
his late marriage as a kind of nightmare, from which he has 
so easily escaped ; never thinking of the young girl, in the 
bloom of her youth and freshness of her early life, who gave 
up all for him, left a good home and kind parents — for 
what? for a few months of mockery, called marriage; the 
sacred bond which is as easily annulled and broken as it 
was made 

What is the cause of divorces? The answer given, some- 
times, is desertion, neglect, cruelty, incompatibility of temper., 
and many other causes, the chief of which is deception one 
towards the other. A young couple will court a few months, 
arrange to marry, and in many cases the man will tell an 
untruth as to his earnings or his position in life ; the honey- 
moon is scarcely over, when the wife finds she has made a 
great mistake in marrying; she is no better off than when 
she was single ; she cannot even dress so well now, out of 
her husband's small pittance of wages, as he is not a stead}* 
man, which she finds out to her sorrow, and the moody wife 
feels keenly the disappointment of her early discouraging 
life. The husband, quick at discernment, soon perceives 
the coldness of his spouse, and the estrangement once com- 
menced, soon culminates into a separation or divorce. Or it 
may be that the right pair have not come together ; one may 
be better educated than the other, their tastes and habits 
perhaps totally different; and the spectacle of a refined, 
cultured woman being linked to a coarse, illiterate man is 
enough to make a reawakening and a craving to be free 
again. Or a frivolous couple may many after a few weeks' 
courtship, tire of one another in as many months, rake up a 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 177 

quarrel, and relatives on both sides advise a speedy divorce. 
This is the sad sight one sees every day in New England, 
the section of the country where it is supposed the inhabi- 
tants are better taught in the world's way of deportment and 
learning than the West and South ; and if the number of 
schools and churches in the Eastern States were of any 
avail to keep the holy words and sacred ceremony of matri- 
mony before one's eyes, then indeed marriage laws should 
be looked upon as a serious, religious compact to be invio- 
lably respected, and not ruthlessly trampled on, as it is even- 
day of our lives. What an example to the rising generation 
which is growing up, with their quick ears and sharp eyes, 
so eager to learn of the scandals and divorce cases heralded 
in our daily journals ! The young men or maidens soon pick 
up the levity of learning how to get rid of a bad bargain, 
when their time comes in the marriage line. The moral effects 
of such training are radically bad, and if not checked by the 
Legislature in some way, the consequences will be that the 
holy bond of matrimony will be held by some with as little 
respect as among the savages, out West. 

The eminent divine, Dr. Dix, of Trinity Church, New 
York, in his'late lectures on marriage, alluded most strongly 
to the great and increasing evil of divorce. He stated some 
unpalatable truths, and pronounced some principles that can- 
not be set forth too often nor too strongly. He dwelt with all 
the abhorrence of a man of keen moral sensibilities upon the 
rapid increase of divorce, and the peril to society which it 
indicates. He spoke in withering terms of the record New 
England has made, calling it " the centre of this moral cess- 
pool." And with a divorce rate of one to every fourteen 
marriages in Massachusetts, one to every eight in Connecti- 
cut, and figures almost as bad in the other States, it must be 
confessed that his burning words are deserved. Dr. Dix 
thinks that marriage is coming to be looked upon as a civil 
contract, and no more. " The notion," said he, " that mar- 
riage is only a civil contract, terminable, like other such con- 
tracts, at the pleasure and convenience of the parties, is and 
must be in the brain of every advocate and approver of 
divorce." The lecturer went on to say, in his vigorous style, 
that if the New England States go on with the alarminglv 



178 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

increase of divorce, he declared, in his opinion, " we are not 
much better than the Mormons." 

His deductions may be unpalatable, but the operations 
of the divorce laws in the Eastern States prove there is much 
truth in what he says. A persistent movement to obtain 
uniform divorce laws in all the States is about the only legal 
remedy which would have any efficacy. Such discussion 
of the question as that given by Dr. Dix is of vastly more 
benefit, because of its educational value, than any legislative 
enactment, that is raised above the convictions of the 
people. 

" Life is like a game of chess — each one holds his rank, 
according to his quality ; but when the game is over, kings, 
queens, and knights, and all the rest, are thrown into one 
common box." — President Grevy. 



PAET III 



By Steamer, from Boston to Baltimore. 

On leaving Boston Bay, one is much struck by the pic- 
turesque beauty of the numerous little islands which dot its 
surface, and shine in the sun's rays, looking like patches of 
gold, which became more brilliant as the fiery circle went 
down, and all except their own crimsoned tree tops were 
immersed in the gloom of fast-approaching night. The sun, 
indeed, as seen at sea, either when it rises or when it sets, 
is a sight of exquisite beauty, of which a landsman can 
scarcely form any conception, until he sees it declining, like 
a radiant ball of fire, and finally dipping below the horizon, 
leaving the vast expanse in the gloaming of night. Such 
was our first evening ; but during the night a most unfavora- 
ble change took place, materially subversive of our personal 
comfort ; for the rain came pouring in a vast deluge, and the 
wind blew in fitful gusts, and gave every indication of a 
rising storm ; for Cape Cod is always considered a rough 
coast, at all seasons of the year. On retiring to my state- 
room cabin for the night, a fearful headache and nausea 
attacked me, with the usual accompaniment of seasickness ; 
and truly the writer wished himself anywhere but in the nar- 
row bed, listening to the howling of the wind, feeling the 
vessel pitching and tossing, as she battled with the elements, 
groaning ever and anon as though in pain, when a huge 
wave gave her a more than usually powerful broadside. 
This trip of some five huudred miles to Baltimore is very 
pleasant in fine weather, but quite the reverse in a gale of 
wind. After passing Cape Cod, which has such a world- 



180 RAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

wide reputation for its fishery, and Cape Henry, farther 
south, we next passed Smith's Island, and finally entered 
Chesapeake Bay and the Patapseo River, reaching the busy 
city of Baltimore at early morning, not a little fatigued by 
the buffeting we had endured in the sea trip from. Boston. 

Baltimore, "The Monumental City." 

Baltimore is a city of large and increasing dimensions, 
having some twenty years ago a population of about 140,000 
inhabitants, while to-day the census estimate of June, 1890, 
presents a population of 437,000 souls. Thus the Monu- 
mental City in a quarter of a century has more than trebled 
its rate of living humanity, and steadily grown in commerce 
and favor. 

Baltimore has many obelisks and landmarks, foremost 
among which is the Washington Monument, a marble column 
one hundred and sixty-three feet high, surmounted by a 
colossal figure of that distinguished general. The view from 
the top of this eminence is most magnificent, looking on to 
the adjacent towns and villages as they lay extended like a 
map at our feet ; while on one side the majestic ocean rolled 
in calm grandeur, and on the other, the fertile, well-planted 
country presented to our view a panorama of no ordinary 
kind, extending to a distance of many miles. 

The city of Baltimore some years ago had forty churches, 
of all denominations, and six large markets, well supplied 
with meat, fish, and vegetables Much fun and amusement 
were created, at seeing crowds of colored people catering here 
for their masters or mistresses. When a colored girl meets 
a colored man, they bow and courtesy to each other half a 
dozen times, and then comes a series of giggles and hand- 
shakings, interspersed with questions about Uncle Johnson. 
Cousin Jackson, and numerous other darkies of their 
acquaintance. 

In the hotel (the Maltby House) where we stopped, there 
was some fun caused by the hilarity of the colored waiters 
in playing jokes on one another, when out of sight of their 
employers, and after the work of the day is over. One poor 
fellow was beaten by a brother darky about the head with a 



K AMBLES IN AMERICA. 181 

broom, till his skull sounded again, and, so far from resenting 
it, he seemed to treat it as an excellent practical joke. 

Baltimore has extensive railway communication with all 
the most important cities of the Union ; among which is a 
branch line of thirty-eight miles to the federal capital of the 
United States. It is along this line that we shall now con- 
duct the reader. 

Washington and its Capitol. 

This celebrated city stands on an elevated point of land, 
formed by the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia 
rivers, and covers some ten or twelve square miles, with 
streets regularly hud out, crossing each other at right angles, 
while several broad avenues and well-planted gardens con- 
nect the different parts of the city. The public buildings 
have all the splendor becoming a great nation. The Capitol, 
which is wholly built of marble, is one of the finest senate and 
congressional houses in the world, and cost a fabulous sum 
of money in building. The ground on which it stands is 
elevated seventy-throe feet above the Potomac River, and 
commands a fine prospect of the surrounding country ; and 
the building covers an area of two or more acres, having a 
frontage of three hundred and fifty-two feet, surmounted by 
a central dome one hundred and twenty feet high ; besides 
which, there are two smaller cupolas at tie termination of 
the wings. The entrances on each front are approached by 
long and wide flights of steps, above which are handsome 
Corinthian porticos, leading to the rotunda, immediately 
under the dome. The approach to this hall is adorned with 
sculptured figures of "Peace and War"; events in the 
struggle of the white man and the Indian ; the Pilgrims 
Landing at Plymouth ; Capt. Smith delivered by Pocahontas ; 
Penn's treaty with the Indians ; and lastly, a noble, colossal 
statue of George Washington. It contains, likewise, in the 
large circular dome, panels of some good paintings, on sub- 
jects connected with American history ; as u The Landing 
of Columbus in 1492 " ; the discovery of the Mississippi, in 
1541, by De Soto; the embarkation of the Pilgrims from 
Delfthaven, in Holland, July 21, 1020; the baptism of 



182 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

Pocahontas in 1613; the Declaration of Independence 
at Philadelphia, July 4, 1776; the capture of Gen. Bur- 
goyne, at Saratoga. Oct. 17, 1777; the surrender of Lord 
Cornwallis at Yorktown, October, 1781; and Washing- 
ton resigning his Commission to Congress, at Annapolis, 
Dec. 23, 1785. All of them are beautifully executed, and 
the groups of figures so tastefully and naturally arranged by 
the painter's skill, that the very look of them seemed to carry 
the spectator back to those scenes of national strife, which 
caused so much bloodshed between the colonists and the 
mother country. We need scarcely say that these paintings 
form a leading attraction to the thousands of visitors who 
throng the capital during the session of Congress. On the 
west of the rotunda is the library, with its many thousands 
of volumes, arranged in arched alcoves ; and around the 
room are three tiers of galleries, the railings of which are 
of gilt bronze, having a very gay appearance. 

In the upper part of the south wing is the Hall of Repre- 
sentatives, a semicircular chamber ninety feet long and sixty 
feet high, surmounted by a dome, supported by twenty-four 
Corinthian pillars of variegated and white Carrara marble. 
The Speaker's chair is raised above the Moor and covered by 
a canopy, beneath which, behind the chair, is the statue of 
" Liberty," while over the door is another of "History.'* 
standing on a winged car, covered with the signs of the 
zodiac, which are used to form the hours of a clock. 

The writer having, a letter of introduction to one of the 
members, was, through his influence, seated amongst that 
august body, instead of the gallery reserved for strangers. 
My congressional friend pointed out the leading politicians 
of the day, as the orators were debating their different views 
of the question before the House. 

The Senate Chamber is in the second story of the north 
wing, and resembles that just described, except in being 
smaller, as sixty senators do not require so large a space as 
two hundred and sixty members of the House of Representa- 
tives. This, the superior chamber, is also more splendidly 
furnished than the other. 

My kind companion introduced us to the Capitol grounds, 
extending over many acres of cultivated gardens. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 183 



The White House, at Washington. 

The other leading public edifice is the White House, or 
official residence of the President of the United States. 
This is a somewhat unpretending stone building, two stories 
high. Ihe apartments within, especially the largest State 
rooms, are admirably suited to their purpose, and splendidly 
furnished. The mansion stands in the centre of cultivated 
gardens, extending down to the banks of the Potomac. 

The narrator of these pages was fortunate in being at 
Washington in time to attend the President's last reception 
of the season. On entering, we were received with entire 
absence of formality, and ushered, along with a stream of 
visitors, into the State drawing-room, luxuriously furnished, 
and lighted with numerous chandeliers, which reflected their 
brilliance on the fair guests who sat around the apartment, 
arrayed in delicate toilets of every hue and color, tastily 
contrasted by juxtaposition with the more sombre-colored 
apparel of the sterner sex. The reception was unusually 
crowded, and martial music was played during the evening, 
as the guests paraded around the spacious State apartment. 

The President's levee was held in a smaller adjoining room, 
and as we entered, we were met by the marshal, who, being 
apprised of my name, etc., introduced me to the President 
of the United States, who advanced with a polite bow, cor- 
dially shook hands with me, conversed for a moment, and 
we bowed and passed < n, to make room for the numbers 
who were to follow. The President's lady was also present, 
who seemed much fatigued with the duties of the evening. 

During the session of Congress, Washington is a very busy 
city. All the hotels, large and small, are crowded with mem- 
bers of Congress and visitors from all parts of the Union. 

Mount Vernon. — Washington's Tomb. 

A steamboat, starting twice a week, some years ago, used to 
convey passengers to Mount Vernon, the once residence and 
now the resting-place of the immortal George Washington. 
The departure pier at the city of Washington was crowded 
with passengers en route to the scene and home of America's 



1$4 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

great patriot. Mount Vernon is situated about fifteen miles 
from the city of Washington, on the Potomac River. 

It was a lovely May morning, warm for the season, and 
the banks of the calmly flowing Potomac looked bright and 
beautiful, both on the Virginia and Maryland shores; while 
the hills in the background on either side seemed, with their 
dark forests, to set off the light-green trees and shrubberies 
nearer the river. The prospect, as we glided along the stream, 
was very enchanting ; now pretty, picturesque-looking houses 
with green verandas and sun blinds, placed in the midst of 
trim, neatly cultivated gardens, would meet the eye; then 
thickly planted groves of pines, oaks, and hickories, and 
occasionally a mile or two of tobacco plantation, producing 
an amount of the fragrant weed larger, perhaps, than is 
raised in any part of the world. 

On landing at Mount Vernon, and pursuing our road 
towards the tomb of "Washington, it was with no ordinary 
emotion that we approached so revered a spot ; and one 
could see from the serious looks and silent footfalls of the 
visitors how great was their veneration for a place made 
sacred by being the depository of all that remains on earth 
of America's immortal patriot general, George "Washington, 
and his beloved wife, Martha. 

The monument covering the vault in which his remains were 
deposited (Dec. 11, 1800) is a plain building, being within 
the grounds attached to the house ; and if any one would 
form an adequate idea of the real but unpretentious great- 
ness of his character, we would recommend him to take a 
trip down the beautiful Potomac to Mount Vernon, and as 
he passes through the pleasure-grounds, notice the quiet, 
unassuming style in which the great general lived when 
relieved from the cares of the army and State. At the time 
of the writer's visit, some years ago, the mansion remained 
much as it was left by Washington ; it may be all dismantled 
now. 

The narrator has lately seen the magnificent mausoleum 
of the illustrious Wellington and Nelson in St. Paul's Cathe- 
dral, London, England, and the crypt which contains the 
remains of the great Napoleon I., at the palace of Invalides, 
in Paris, of such solemn grandeur; but the quaint, plain 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



185 



stone outline of all that remains of George "Washington tells 
its own story in the couplet by the writer. Peace to the 
memory of the great and good man whose ashes rest at 
Mount Vernon, and around whose shrine reposes truth and 
virtue. 



A Trip to a Tobacco Plantation. 

Being anxious to make some acquaintance with the pro- 
cess of cultivating the tobacco plant, we took the ferry on 
the. eastern branch, with the view ofJvisiting some tobacco 
farms on the Maryland side of the 
Potomac River. The following obser- 
vations, made chiefly on the spot, of 
the culture and manufacture of to- 
bacco, will, I trust, be considered to 
furnish some useful information on 
the subject of the much-used tobacco 
plant, and its cultivation in Maryland 
and Virginia. 

Tobacco, or tobasco (so called from 
a province of Yucatan, whence the 
Spaniards first adopted the name) , 
was originally imported to Europe in 
the middle of the sixteenth century, 
and the Englishman who introduced 
it into Great Britain was the cele- 
brated traveller, Sir Walter Raleigh, about the year 1585 ; 
he being the first to introduce the practice of smoking this 
narcotic plant. When or how its use came into vogue among 
the Eastern nations is not certainly known ; but they have 
adopted it for several centuries, perhaps even before the dis- 
covery of America by the Western nations. 

Tobacco is sometimes used medicinally, but its employ- 
ment in that way requires extreme caution. It is far more 
commonly used either as a stimulant and sternutatory in the 
shape of snuff, or as a masticatory, by chewing it in the 
mouth, or as a sedative vapor inhaled in smoking ; and in 
the last of these ways it is supposed, by many, to furnish 
innocent and legitimate recreation, when used in modera- 




186 EAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

tion. At all events, thirty million pounds of tobacco are 
annually consumed in the British dominions, realizing for 
the government a revenue of more than five millions ster- 
ling, — a pretty strong proof that the weed is held in high 
estimation by vast numbers in every class of Britishers. 
Nay, even the red Indians, in the countries where tobacco 
is indigenous, consider it the choicest offering they can 
make to their gods, and use it in all their civil and religious 
ceremonies ; besides which, they deem airy compact or treaty 
made over the calumet, or pipe of peace, as sacred and 
inviolable. Smoking, however, though the first, is not the 
only mode of using it ; for the juices extracted by chewing 
have been deemed by some to possess a cordial quality, for 
alleviating fatigue and hunger (be that as it may, the un- 
healthy appearance of inveterate tobacco chewers bespeak it 
as a practice attended with baneful effects to the constitution 
of man). 

Culture and Manufacture of Tobacco. 

For the purpose of chewing, the inhabitants of the settle- 
ments in the interior of America manufacture it by a very 
simple process — spinning the leaves, when properly cured, 
by means of a wheel, into a twist, thicker or thinner as may 
be required, and then folding into rolls of about twenty 
pounds each, to be ready for use. In this state it will keep 
for many years, becoming milder by age. When wanted, it 
is cut off in lengths for chewing ; or broken into small bits 
of shreds for smoking ; or, thirdly, placed in moderately 
small pieces near a fire, and then pounded or rubbed to a 
powder for snuff. 

The tobacco plant is cultivated in Asia as well as America, 
but by far the largest quantity sent to Great Britain consists 
of the unmanufactured leaves exported from Maryland and 
Virginia, in which States alone about one hundred and 
twenty million pounds are raised, either for home or foreign 
consumption — about two thirds of the quantity exported 
being sent to Germany and Holland. 

The hospitable planter at whose house I was staying 
informed me that I was rather too early in the year (May) 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 187 

to see the tobacco plant as it ought to be seen by strangers, 
unaware of the rapidity of its growth ; but we shall give the 
result of his descriptions, adding facts also which I gleaned 
upon the spot. It appears there are several species of the 
tobacco plant, distinguishable chiefly by their flowers, and 
the way in which the leaves are inserted into the stalks. 

The two kinds most cultivated are the " Oronokoe " and 
the " sweet-scented," which differ from each other only in 
the shape of their leaves — those of the former being larger 
and narrower. Both are tall, herbaceous plants, of erect 
growth and noble foliage, rising in their native soil to a 
height of seven and sometimes nine feet, while the stalk, 
covered with a green, velvet-textured, clammy coating, is 
upwards of an inch in diameter near the root. The leaves, 
which are of a spear-shaped oval, have a dark-green hue, 
and without pedicles, embracing the stalk by an auriculatedS 
base, and grow alternately either side of it, at a distance 
of two or three inches from each other. The largest leaves 
are about tweut} r inches long, but they decrease in size as 
they ascend, till they are not more than ten inches long and 
four broad. The leaves, however, in their earlier stage of 
growth, are not more than six inches long, of a full-green 
hue, and rather smooth in texture, the roughness and yel- 
lowish hue being the result of age. The stalk of the plant 
is terminated upwards by large bunches of flowers, collected 
in clusters, of a delicate red hue, with edges, when quite 
blown, inclining to a pale purple ; and these flowers succeed 
one another till the end of summer, when they make room 
for the seeds, which are veiy small, kidney-shaped, and of a 
brown color; each capsule containing about 1,000, and a 
single plant producing about 350,000 seeds, which are ripe 
about September, and when dried, are kept in bags for the 
following season. 

The Oronokoe — or, as the seedsmen call it, the long Vir- 
ginia tobacco — is better suited to northern climates, as the 
plant is stronger, and the leaves have a richer fragrance and 
potency than in the other kind ; the sweet-scented, which 
flourishes mostly in sandy soil and warm climates, growing 
also with greater rapidity than the former, and being alto- 
gether much milder and more agreeable in flavor. Lastly, 



188 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

the Nicotiana is much cultivated as au annual garden plant ; 
for it attains a majestic height, and exhibits a most elegant 
appearance, with its fine, luxuriant leaves, and large clus- 
ters of flowers crowning the summit of each individual stalk. 

The best ground for the tobacco plant is a warm, rich 
soil, not subject to be overrun with weeds ; and in Virginia, 
that most usually chosen is a warm but light, sandy soil, the 
best situation for a plantation being the southern declivity 
of a hill, or some spot by a wall or bank, sheltered from the 
keen winds of the spring months. The plants, however, 
must at the same time enjoy a free current of air, or else 
they will not thrive. 

The tobacco plant, being an annual, is of course raised ex- 
clusively from seeds ; and great care must be taken in pur- 
chasing the same, for the sowing of bad seed often results 
in the loss of the expected crop. The good and bad, how- 
ever, are not distinguishable by the eye ; and if the planter 
be not provided with seed of his own raising, he must rely 
solely on the honor and principle of the seedsman. The 
seeds are sown early in April, in beds prepared for the pur- 
pose, with warm, rich manure ; and in case of frost, after 
the seeds have begun to germinate, mats must be thrown 
over the beds at night, supported by poles at such a height 
as not to crush the infant plant, but again removed soon after 
sunrise, that the sun and air may exercise as much as possi- 
ble their maturing influence. This is continued till the plant 
has attained a height of about two inches, which it reaches 
in a month from the time of sowing, when the period arrives 
for transplanting. 

The transplanting is done about the middle of May, much 
in the same manner as we do with lettuce ; the ground is 
carefully prepared for the plant by being ploughed or dug up, 
and made as mellow and light as possible with good vege- 
table manure. Great attention must also be paid at this time 
to keep the earth soft and free from weeds, taking care to 
prune off any dead leaves adhering to the bases of the stalks ; 
and when the plants begin to flower, cutting off the heads, so 
that only twelve or sixteen of the leaves may be left to re- 
ceive the whole nutriment, and thus become larger and thicker. 
When the tobacco is intended to be a little stronger than 



EAMBLES IN AMERICA. 189 

usual, only twelve are allowed to remain ; wheu unusually 
powerful, only ten or eleven ; while, on the other hand, if 
the planter wishes to ljave an especially mild crop, he suffers 
from eighteen to twenty leaves to remain on the stalks. This 
operation is called" topping the tobacco," and is much better 
done by the finger and thumb than with any instrument, be- 
cause with the former, the pores of the plant can be closed 
up at the time of plucking the leaf, which cannot be done with 
the latter, the consequence being, that the juices of the plant 
are impaired. 

When the tobacco plant has reached maturity, and is fit 
for gathering, the stalks are severed as near as possible to 
the root, this work being usually done a little before sunrise, 
on days that promise to be fine. Thus far accomplished, they 
are placed carefully on the ground, and there allowed to re- 
main exposed to the sun throughout the day, or, at all events, 
until the leaves have been entirely iviltecl, that is, made lim- 
ber and flexible, so as to bend any way without breaking. 
Should there, however, be heavy and continuous rain, when 
the plants get ripe, they must be cut down and housed with 
all possible despatch. The places in which they are thus 
sheltered are barns or sheds, on the floors of which the plants 
are thinly scattered, until the leaves become limber, and then 
laid in heaps to ferment, care being taken to turn them about 
occasionally, in order that the whole may be equally fer- 
mented ; and the longer they lie in this condition, the darker 
will the color of the tobacco become. This process is termed 
"sweating the tobacco." The plants, after lying thus for 
about three or four days, are next laid in a heap, and pressed 
down with heavy logs for about a week ; and while the tobacco 
is in this state, the planter usually introduces his hand into 
the middle of the heap, in order to ascertain that there is no 
excess of heat ; should it be so, some of the pressure is re- 
moved, great care being taken with this stage of the process, 
as on the right or wrong performance mainly depends the 
excellence or inferiority of the tobacco. 

When this process, termed the "second or last sweating," 
has been gone through, the leaves are stripped from the 
stalks, after which they (the leaves) are tied up in bunches 
or hands, which, after being sprinkled with sea or common 



190 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

water, are twisted into rolls, and in that shape exported to 
Europe or elsewhere. Some persons, however, substitute 
cider or white wine for water, with the view of giving the 
tobacco a finer flavor. 

The tobacco plant, moreover, is subject to the ravages of 
a most destructive insect, called the tobacco worm, to protect 
it against which is one of the chief concerns of the cultiva- 
tor. To destroy these insects, or at least to keep them under 
(for it is quite impossible to exterminate them altogether), 
every leaf is carefully searched, and as soon as one is found 
to be wounded, the cause of it is at once destroyed ; and so 
rapid are the ravages they commit, that without constant 
vigilance against their attacks, whole fields of plants would 
soon be ravaged ; nay, even if any be left on the leaves 
during the curing process, they prove equally destructive. 
These vermin are found chiefly in July and August, and 
the method of getting rid of them is called " worming the 
tobacco " The insect is of a peculiar horned species, but in 
what way it is produced or propagated is unknown. It is 
first discernible when the plants have gained about half 
their height, when the little creature appears as large as a 
gnat; after which it lengthens out to the size of a worm, 
and at last attains the magnitude of a man's finger. It 
is of regular shape from head to tail, indented or ringed 
round at equal distances, about a quarter of an inch apart, 
at each of which indentations a pair of claws spring out, 
by means of which it clings to the leaf of the plant. Its 
mouth, which resembles that of a caterpillar, is placed under 
the fore part of the head, the top of which is crowned b} 7 a 
sharp-pointed, stiff horn, of a brown color, and about half 
an inch long The color of the worm is in general green, 
interspersed with yellowish white, and the body is covered, 
like the caterpillars, with short, fine hair. 

Having thus attempted to describe the culture and mode 
of curing the tobacco plant, which is a subject of no little 
interest, on account of the great commercial importance of 
the product, I shall return to my kind host and his family, 
from whom, in the several walks that we took together 
around the plantation, the scribe gained most of the above 
particulars. Finally, on taking leave of my generous enter- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 191 

tamers, they — though I was a perfect stranger — warmly 
pressed me to renew my visit at my earliest convenience ; 
and after being carried to the ferry station by a fleet horse 
and wagon, I stepped on board the ferry-boat en route to the 
Potomac steamer, on the other side of the river, and ere 
long was once more at my hotel in Washington, not a little 
pleased at having so agreeable a time, and gaining so much 
valuable information respecting the tobacco plantations of 
Maryland and Virginia. 

Railway Trip to Philadelphia. 

Our stay at Washington being ended, we boarded the cars, 
en route to Philadelphia, and speedily rattled the train on its 
way to Baltimore. Along the road might be seen various 
groups of colored men, playing foot-ball and other games, 
which gave the swarthy players ample opportunity for laugh- 
ing, jumping, leaping, capering, and the thousand other antics 
which colored people are so fond of exhibiting. In the shunt- 
ing of cars across some parts of the suburbs of Baltimore, 
years ago, mules used to be brought into requisition ; and it 
was fine fun for the darkies, cracking their whips to accel- 
erate the speed of their four-in-hand team, with exclama- 
tions such as, "Get up, Miss Nancy ! " " Go along, Massa 
Pete ! " and soon, according to the animal's name. We were 
much diverted on our way by the sight of numerous grinning, 
sable Dinahs, with grotesque-looking turbans on their heads, 
of nearly every color and design, with little pickaninnies 
capering around them, as only negro children can caper. 

At length we reached the farther suburb, the engine was 
again attached, and away we went into the open country, 
being speedily removed from the gaze of the hundreds of 
dark e3*es that watched the cars. We crossed several sec- 
tions of rivers and lakes, which, as we hung over them, as it 
were, in the dim twilight, looked anything but pleasant ; 
for if any casualty had occurred to the train, in all pi'obability 
a watery grave would have ended the joys and sorrows of 
most of us. 

We may mention here, that twilight in America is not of 
such duration as in some parts of Europe. Nor will we go 



192 RAMBLES IN AMEKICA. 

to the length of the Irishman, just landed, who, seeing the 
moon at its full, confidently told a companion that the moon 
in America was not as good as that in Ireland, sure. But 
it is very noticeable how short are the twilights on this conti- 
nent, almost suddenly changing from partial day to the 
sable darkness of night. 

We had now reached the State of Pennsylvania, first 
settled by the celebrated Quaker, William Penn, in 1680, 
and so well known for the important part this State played 
in the great struggle with England for American independ- 
ence. Pennsylvania is rich in natural resources, being abun- 
dantly provided with valuable iron ore, almost inexhaustible 
fields of bituminous and anthracite coal, with salt, limestone, 
oil, and other mineral riches. The anthracite coal burns simi- 
lar to coke, without smoke or flame (unlike the bituminous or 
soft coal), and evolving sulphurous vapors, to obviate injury 
from which, most housekeepers use an iron vessel filled with 
water on the top of the stove, for the purpose of collecting 
and consuming the fumes on its surface. At Pittsburg, 
bituminous coal is very largely used for smelting purposes. 

We now changed cars for a short steamboat ride across a 
river ; after about an half -hour's journey on the water, we 
again take the cars, having had good opportune for refresh- 
ment on board. On we rattled toward the Quaker City, 
which we reached a little before midnight. Ere we arrived, 
our attention was called rather amusingly to an altercation 
in the cars, about a seat, which a young passenger had 
unconsciously taken from an irascible old gentleman, who 
would take no apology, but proceeded to high words and 
gesticulations, and even when somewhat appeased by the 
other's deprecatory tone, kept mumbling and grumbling till 
he fell asleep. 

On arriving at Philadelphia, the writer went to a very 
pleasant hotel near the Exchange building, quite central in 
its location to all places of interest. Not to tire the reader's 
patience too much, a brief description may not be uninter- 
esting. Philadelphia is the third city in the Union, and 
quoted in 1890 at approaching 900,000 in population. It 
stands on a somewhat elevated plain, about three miles from 
the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill, and extends 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 193 

from one to the other, nearly two miles in breadth, running 
also four miles along the Delaware, which is here one hun- 
dred and twenty miles from the ocean. The plan of the 
city is formal, like some others in America, and is nearly a 
parallelogram, having the Delaware on the east, Schuylkill 
on the west, Vine and Cedar streets being the boundaries 
north and south. The two principal thoroughfares are 
Market and Broad streets, which cross each other almost at 
right angles, and divide the city into four nearly equal sec- 
tions ; but the great resorts of fashion are Chestnut and 
Walnut streets, which contain the leading stores. 

Sitting on a rock in one of the pretty, ornamental, square 
enclosures, the narrator felt a curious sensation, as if some- 
thing larger than a spider or mosquito was stealthily climb- 
ing up one's back, and on hastily rising, found that we had 
disturbed a fine squirrel, who, however, came in front of us, 
nothing daunted, and begged for biscuits or crackers, nuts, 
etc., usually given to these pretty creatures by good-natured 
loungers. The little animal became very friendly, leaped 
into our lap, and extended his paws for the accustomed 
donation. Patting and stroking would not do, so he speedily 
ensconced himself on some one else's lap, who had come 
provided with offeriugs for our little friend. 

To endeavor to enumerate the many excellent buildings 
and institutions would only weary the reader, but one that 
cannot be overlooked we shall now describe. 

Girard College. 

Girard College, situated about a mile from the city proper, 
is a magnificent orphan school, founded by a bequest of 
more than two millions of dollars, left by the late Stephen 
Girard, by birth a Frenchman, but who came out to America 
in early life, as a friendless, deserted boy. His first situa- 
tion was as a lawyer's junior clerk, or shop lad, to sweep out 
the office and make himself generally useful. As he grew 
up, by indomitable perseverance and strict integrity he rose 
step by step, acquiring the esteem and confidence of his 
employers, till at last he became connected with the most 
extensive transactions of commercial enterprise in the United 



194 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

States. In fact, in the course of a few years, the poor, 
friendless boy had by his own unaided efforts become mer- 
chant, ship-owner, and millionuaire. 

During the insurrection and massacre of St. Domingo, in 
1806, the wealthier inhabitants sent their valuables on board 
of the ships lying at that port, Mr. Girarcl being the owner 
of the vessels. The revolt against the French tyrant, 
Dessalines, happened sooner than was expected, and most 
of the citizens were slain in the sanguinary tumults which 
ensued. The property on board Mr. Girard's vessels was 
duly advertised ; but alas, the owners were no more ; so, after 
allowing the usual time to elapse for claimants to appear, 
the property in due course became his. What he did with the 
bulk of it is sufficiently apparent from the erection of this 
magnificent college for fatherless children. 

Some time during our visit there were five hundred boys 
clothed, boarded, and educated in all the branches of liberal 
learning at the expense of the founder, and we were informed 
there are surplus funds for one hundred more children, were 
there sufficient accommodation of extra buildings. Singu- 
larly enough, in his will, Girarcl expressly stipulated that no 
ecclesiastic, missionary, or minister should hold any appoint- 
ment in the college, or be admitted, on any pretext, even as 
a visitor, within its precincts. This restriction seemed to 
intimate a wish in the founder to exclude the object of his 
charity from all religious education ; but the difficulty was 
got over, by liberally interpreting a clause in the deed, 
directing that " all pains should be taken to instill in the 
minds of the scholars the purest principles of morality." 
From this it was inferred that he had no intention of exclud- 
ing the use of the Bible ; and hence the directors bound the 
president of the college to hold family worship twice a day, 
and to perform divine service, either himself or by some 
lay deputy, twice on each Sunday. 

The building consists of a central mansion, with a long 
portico, surrounded by a colonnade of Corinthian pillars ; 
besides which, there are two other buildings or wings at the 
sides ; the whole are constructed of the purest white marble. 
The establishment is divided into five sections, four of which 
are for the accommodation of the boys and the numerous 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 195 

teachers and officers. The dining-halls are very spacious, 
and a great array of knives, forks, plates, etc., are laid to 
receive the viands at each meal. The bedrooms are light and 
airy, and with the bed linen, scrupulously clean ; the soldier- 
like regularity of the wash-room was noticeable, along which, 
on each side, hung, on their respective pegs, long lines of 
bright bowls, with their necessary adjuncts of soap, towel, 
and tooth-brush, with a faucet for each boy to stand at, 
while performing his ablutions. The exceeding regularity 
of these arrangements convinced one that nothing had been 
neglected that could conduce to the welfare of these father- 
less children. 

The several schools are judiciously arranged with reference 
to the capacity of scholars, so that each one has a fair chance 
of bringing out his talents under competent instructors, 
either in the rudimental or advanced branches of learning, 
the foreign languages, or the arts and sciences. 

At length the time for recreation arrived, when the boys 
were allowed to leave their studies for a twenty-minutes' 
recess ; such gambols, capering, and half-mad vagaries were 
truly diverting, causing one to think how great were the 
blessings conferred by this uoble institution on so many 
friendless children, who, but for it, might have been wan- 
dering the streets, associating with the worst characters, and 
finally have become inmates of prisons, or outcasts from the 
world. 

May such colleges be found in every land, training up 
youths to become honest, useful citizens, whether in profes- 
sions or trades, honorable merchants, or enterprising capital- 
ists, like the noble-minded founder himself, whose marble 
statue adorns the entrance hall. 

We may add, in closing, that Philadelphia has three hun- 
dred and fifty-two miles of street railway, at the present 
time. 

Jersey City. 

A ride of about four hours by rail and boat brought us to 
Jersey City, which lies on the right bank of the Hudson, 
just opposite New York. The neighborhood is very fertile, 



196 ' RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

and furnishes the markets of the Empire City with dairy 
produce, vegetables, and fruits, especially peaches, of a 
most delicious flavor, immense quantities of which are daily 
sent across the Hudson. On our arrival we crossed at once 
to New York to see a friend, who being busy, gave me the 
address of his residence in Jersey City, kindly bidding me 
to stay with him for a few days. Wishing, however, to go 
to the Italian opera at the Academy of Music, near Broad- 
way, it was arranged that after the performance was over, I 
should recross the feny and join my entertainer at supper. 

A Misadventure. 

After the opera, I crossed the river, as agreed ; but judge 
of my confusion, kind reader, when the realization came of 
having lost my friend's address, as I was totally unac- 
quainted with the localities of Jersey City, besides it being 
near midnight. Memory, however, served me with part of 
the address, and seeing a house, where I thought my friend 
lived, gayly lighted up, I gave a loud knock at the door. 
My embarrassment was not diminished when the door was 
opened by an elderly gentleman, quite a stranger to me, 
and I found that I had disturbed a pleasant evening party. 
Confused at the mistake, I apologized and withdrew, though 
not before I had received the earnest commiseration of one 
of the most charming and beautiful young ladies my eyes 
had ever beheld, whose image, as I now write, seems indeli- 
bly before me, in her floating white drapery, her fair blond 
hair in luxuriant waves falling around her shapely neck, and 
the sweet vivacity of manner as she kindly welcomed the 
belated traveller to rest in her father's house for a while. 
All this, after a lapse of years, is vividly engraven on one's 
memory, enough to make him exclaim, with the poet 
Byron : — 

" Sweet girl, though only once we met, 
That meeting I shall ne'er forget. 
I ■would not say — I loved ; but still 
My senses struggled with my will. 
Perhaps it was not love ; hut yet 
Our meeting I shall ne'er forget. " 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 197 

At last, tired and dispirited, I found my way through the 
darkness to a hotel near the ferry pier. In the office I 
noticed several sleepy drovers and cattle jobbers, awaiting 
the arrival of the cattle- cars. The hotel clerk stared at the 
pallid, weary countenance before him, and seemed half 
inclined to refuse the bed and shelter asked for, but at last 
he showed me to a small bedroom and waited for payment 
of the night's lodging, which I handed him with a smile, 
quite convinced that if I had gone to a wrong house before, 
I had now, at all events, gone to a wrong hotel. Fatigued 
and vexed with myself, I retired at once to rest, and was 
soon asleep ; but alas, my repose was of no long duration. 
It was still dark when I was suddenly awakened by a fearful 
noise, a perfect chaos of sounds, just below my window. 
Rising in bed to recover nn^self, and remember where I was, 
the clamor seemed to gradually die away. Presently the 
turmoil was renewed with greater energy, in the shape of 
frightful, discordant bellowing, caused by the recent arrival 
of a cattle-train. As far as regards fear, my mind was at 
rest, but the constant din effectually deprived me of all 
chances of sleep. 

By daylight I was not long in finding my friend's house, 
to which I was admitted fully an hour before he had risen. 
When he and his wife came, the relation of my night's ad- 
ventures made them both laugh heartily ; but the lady liked 
the little episode of the vision in white at the evening party 
the best. However, a good breakfast and cheerful morning's 
chat, with a fine, fragrant havana afterwards, soon set me to 
rights, and we both started to the ferry-boat for New York. 

The Deluge at Johnstown, Penn., April and May, 1889. 

Before leaving this section of the book, a few words re- 
specting the dreadful disaster at Johnstown may be read with 
interest. All the civilized world was shocked to learn of the 
fearful deluge. The anguish and heart-rending scenes 
enacted on that eventful night of visitation are without par- 
allel in this century. The rushing waters poured down from 
the broken embankment, caused by the wilful neglect and 
unheeded warnings of the rottenness of the dam, culminating 



198 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

in the loss of those hurried to eternity by the deluge of seeth- 
ing waters from the weakened reservoir ; thus sweeping away 
at a blow hundreds of innocent lives and fifteen hundred 
homes of men, women, and children. The imagination can- 
not carry one sufficiently to the anguished cry for help of the 
drowning multitude, as they beheld their dear ones sinking 
into the roaring torrent before their very eyes. As time 
rolls on, the town will be rebuilt, probably on its old land- 
marks, and the deluge of the valley of death will in part be 
forgotten, to make room for other calamities of wind and 
tide, though we trust of less degree ; but no time can erase 
the thought of how weak we mortals are, when compared to 
a convulsion of Nature like this, when angry waters get 
beyond their limit, and death and destruction are the result, 
and our boastful supremacy of strength is as a straw floating 
against the fierce billows of the ocean's tide. 

The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. 

On the great continent of America, Nature is to be seen in 
all her immensity and sublimity, on a most gigantic scale. 
Her lakes of inland seas, her rivers, her cataracts and great 
rapids, her mountains and valleys, are all silent and wonder- 
giving attestations of what we say as to the sublime and 
majestic grandeur which characterizes them, one and all. 
Poets, painters, and tourists have written and painted their 
praises, with pen and brush, with all fidelity ; but, naturally, 
descriptions are feeble and futile, compared to the great 
reality of this wondrous land. And as the Mammoth Cave 
of Kentucky is so astoundingly wonderful, and comparatively 
but little known to the masses of mankind, the narrator will 
endeavor to describe it, and lay a few facts of reliable in- 
formation and character before his reader, which he thinks 
may prove interesting. 

The traveller from the Eastern States, intending to visit 
the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, would go by way of Cin- 
cinnati (the Queen City of the AVest), then to Louisville, one 
hundred and thirty-three miles. Ninety miles farther on 
towards Nashville the tourist reaches a comfortable inn, 
called " Bell's Hotel," which makes a good halting-place for 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 199 

refreshment; thence about ten miles more, and the lt Cave 
Hotel " is reached ; which being quite adjacent to the won- 
drous cave,, all anxiety for a comfortable abode is over. 
The hotel has been enlarged from time to time, to meet the 
wants of increasing visitors. The " Cave Hotel " is very 
spacious in its accommodations, and the annexes being sur- 
rounded by colonnades and piazzas, the visitor can have ex- 
ercise under cover, during wet weather. Venison and other 
good things are here in abundance, and a fiue kitchen garden 
and orchard furnish vegetables and fruits for the table. 
Many of the parties lodged at the hotel are in the habit of 
exploring the cave more than once. 

And now for the " Cave," unequalled by any other known 
in the world. In order to explore only one of its avenues, 
which is nine miles long, the visitor starts immediately after 
breakfast. The entrance to the cave is about two hundred 
yards from the back of the hotel ; leaving it, the tourists 
pass down a beautiful ravine, having on each side towering- 
trees, their foliage forming a magnificent arch overhead, so 
umbrageous as to shutout all sight of the blue sky. Around 
and about grape-vines are entwined, which flourish in fine 
luxuriance. It is a charming and romantic spot, descending 
gradually to the bottom of the dell, and turning sharply 
round to the right hand, the visitor approaches the entrance 
to the Mammoth Cave. He is now at its arch, having made 
a descent of some thirty feet of rude stone steps. A small 
stream of water here falls from the front of the crowning 
rock, its dripping sounds being wild and weird ; the abyss 
below receives it. Let the visitor now look backward ; all is 
utter gloom, enough to make him exclaim, "This is chaos ! " 

Each company is accompanied by an experienced guide, 
who places in each of their hands a lamp, which he furnishes 
with oil from a canteen swung around his back. The jour- 
ney underground is then commenced. The first objects which 
attract attention are wooden troughs, which conducted the 
water in its descent to the " hoppers " or mills, when the 
cave was used for the manufacture of saltpetre. Having 
proceeded onward, a doorway is reached, set in a rough stone 
wall, stretched crossways, and so blocking up the entire 
cavern. We proceed through this passage, which is called 



200 RAMBLES .IN AMERICA. 

the " Narrows," then make a gradual descend, and we are in 
the great antechamber of the cave. How awful and solemn 
is the surrounding darkness ; no glimmer of light anywhere ; 
blackness reigns triumphant, around and above you ! The 
guide now lights a few fires, and the effect is truly wonder- 
ful. More than a hundred feet above your head is a gray 
ceiling, at once majestic and spectral ; then appear buttresses 
and stalagmite columns, and intricate and delicate draperies 
in this weird chamber. We all remain silent, as if awe- 
struck with the dumb beaut} T of the underground region, 
which causes a sensation in the brain of utter and tingling 
bewilderment. 

To give anything approaching a thorough description of 
the cavern is far from our purpose, as indeed it would fill a 
volume of its own. In fact, no writer can fully describe 
this marvellous excavation of Nature's handiwork. At right 
angles are two passages running into this huge chamber. 
The passage on the right is designated the " Bat room," 
where tens of thousands of these ominous-looking creatures 
are seen hanging from the walls, seemingly dead or torpid 
during the winter, but when spring comes the place knows 
them no more. Those visitors who enter the great bat 
chamber will have a suspicion that they are passiug into 
infinite space. This impression will continue for some time ; 
the walls of the cave are so dark as not to admit a single 
reflection from the torches carried on ordinary occasions. 

The wayfarer now enters the main cave, or grand gallery. 
This is a wonderful tunnel, and extends for some miles ; it 
is a truly magnificent avenue, filled with objects of great 
interest to the naturalist and all inquiring minds. Just 
picture to yourself an immense wall lit up as if by magic 
(t, e., Bengal lights) , with its carved cornices and sculptured 
or arabesqued architraves, coming and going, in its flicker- 
ing, brilliant phantasm. 

The Star Chamber is considered by most visitors to be one 
of the grandest and most impressive of the sights of this 
underground region. It is a superb, long hall, with perpen- 
dicular arches on either side, and a flat ceiling ; the side 
rocks are of a light color, and stand out in bold relief against 
the dark, shady ceiling, which is studded with innumerable 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 201 

sparkling substances, resembling stars. The guide at this 
chamber takes the lantern from each visitor, and places 
them in a hole in the rock, to subdue the light, enhancing 
the effect, and making the illusion more perfect. 

The narrator would weary the reader with minute descrip- 
tions of the Crystal Chamber, Echo Halls, stalactitic domes, 
Church Chambers, gothic rooms (with natural pulpits), 
Devil's Arm-chair, Elephant's Head, Lovers' Leap, also many 
others, which are so replete with wonders, as truly naturally 
formed chambers or avenues of the grand work of the Crea- 
tor, that, like looking on the sublime Niagara or the grand 
and picturesque " Giant's Causeway,'* one feels lost in admi- 
ration of the really bewildering and gigantic beauties of 
these created wonders of the world ! 

The Bottomless Pit, like a ' horseshoe in form, has a 
tongue of land twenty -seven feet long, which runs out in the 
middle of it From the extremity of this land, a bridge of 
substantial workmanship has been thrown o\ertothe cave 
on the opposite side. .Some idea of the derth of the pit, 
and of the awe which a contemplation of it arouses, may be 
imagined, when we state that it is the custom of the guides 
to let down pieces of lighted paper into the ab\ ss below, 
wh ; ch, descending lower and lower, ultimately vanish from 
the vision, though long before they are burnt out or extin- 
tinguished. • 

The Snow-ball Room, as it is called, is well worthy of 
notice, being some two hundred feet in length; and if a 
number of school-boys had just finished their day's sport by 
throwing some thousands of snow-balls against the roof, 
while a similar number lay in confusion about the floor, and 
all petrified, it would present just such a scene as you wit- 
ness in this hall of Natuie's earthly frolic. These petrified 
snow- balls (so say the scientists) are a perfect anomaly 
among all the extraordinary forms of crystallization. They 
result, it is supposed, from unusual combination of the 
sulphate of lime and magnesia, with carbonate of the for- 
mer. 

The Styx River is the smallest river in the Mammoth Cave ; 
havii g passed it, the tourist finds himself on the banks of the 
Lethe River. The rugged, abrupt rock scenery at this point 



202 RAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

is very grand and imposing. "The boats in use here are built 
to carry twelve persons in each ; the passage down the river 
is replete with suppressed pleasure, and novel and weird-like 
feeling of romantic interest. The wonderful character of the 
place and surrounding scenes, and its cavernous magnifi- 
cence, must naturally cause mingled feelings of awe and 
admiration. The rippling of the current gives a subdued 
and musical cadence to the ear ; and so powerfully does 
sound vibrate and repeat itself in this section of the cavern, 
that the report of a pistol is like some heavy artillery in its 
echoes of thunderings and murmurings, dying away in the 
far distance. While gliding down this stream of Lethe, 
oftentimes a whole boat's company have joined in song, 
spontaneous, as it were — the effect has been ( ne of solemnity 
and joyousness ; and when a full band of music has been 
tried on the P2cho River, what the result has been can better 
be imagined than described. 

The EcIjo River is three miles in length, and it is in this 
river, and others in Mammoth Cave, that those very extraor- 
dinary fish, the "white eyeless," are to be found. On a 
close and minute inspection of these fish, not any appear- 
ance of an eye is distinguishable, nor have the skilful anato- 
mists of all times, who have experimented on these curious 
specimens of the finny tribe, been more successful. Indeed, 
it has been asserted by scientists, naturalises, and men 
eminent in their professions, that these fishes are not only 
without eyes, but also portray other anomalies in their organ- 
ization highly interesting to lovers of science. Some writers 
also affirm that animals of the rat species, yet half rabbits, 
with many other breathing and visual oddities, are to be 
found in these underground regions. At the time the rivers 
of the Mammoth Cave were first crossed (1840) and since, 
several endeavors were and have been made to discover 
whence the '"white eyeless" come, and also whither they 
go; though various conjectures have been formed, yet noth- 
ing definite or satisfactory has come to pass. All is still 
in doubt, and will continue so, w T e presume, to the end of 
time. 

The barometrical measurement of the rivers in the Mam- 
moth Cave has been frequently taken ; but scientific men 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 203 

cannot agree on the subject. The prevailing opinion of the 
rivers is, that they are emptied into the Green River, the 
Ohio, or the ocean ; they must run a great distance under 
ground, and have a very trifling descent. Most accounts agree 
that these rivers in question are generally pure and fresh water ; 
while the mineral springs and other medicinal waters are much 
sought after by consumptive and dyspeptic patients. 

As the salubrious air of the Mammoth Cave is a great 
promoter of appetite, after some hours of rambling, the 
contents of lunch baskets are in great requisition, and a 
large, flat rock, called the " Dining Table," at the termina- 
tion of Cleveland Avenue, is often used in lieu of more 
domestic furniture ; and as many as one hundred visitors 
have set around this Nature's table, and regaled and rested 
themselves. Here, by the aid of guides, the banquet is 
often spread; the tourists, being in the cave from morn till 
dewy eve, greatly need the refreshment. In the midst of 
laughter and story-telling, after sitting awhile, the enjoy- 
ment is abruptly broken by a hint from the guide that the 
river may possibly rise, and their retreat be cut off ; then 
how sudden is the move ; the uplifted morsel is dropped 
from the mouth, and what a rattle and gathering up of 
plates, dishes, knives, forks, etc., there is ! But it is only a 
ruse of the chief guide, to get the sight-seers out of the 
cave before midnight. 

The effect on entering the outer world again is somewhat 
peculiar. With a grateful feeling of relief one emerges 
from the cavernous researches, and looks on the fair earth 
with renewed pleasure ; though the ten hours of instructive 
study just witnessed is uppermost in the thoughts of all, as 
they wend their way to the pleasant home comforts of the 
Hotel de Cave. 

The ownership of the Mammoth Cave is in the possession 
of St. George Groghan, Esq., son of the late Dr. Groghan. 
The proprietor is a resident of Louisville, and a gentleman 
of great enterprise. He has made many discoveries in the 
cave, and altered parts of avenues of low altitudes to con- 
venient walking promenades. It is said visitors seldom or 
ever contract cold on entering or departing from the cave. 
No noxious or dangerous animals or reptiles trouble the 



204 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

caverns with their presence. No impurity of air is ever 
experienced in the cave's recesses ; in every part of this 
region combustion is perfect. Decomposition, and its loath- 
some adjunct, putrefaction, is unknown there. The water 
of the cave is exquisitely pure, and is generally fresh; and, 
as before mentioned, has one or two sulphur spiings. There 
are two hundred and twenty-six avenues in this magnificent 
cave, forty-seven domes, eight cataracts, and twenty-three 
pits. The tempeiature of the place is 59° Fahrenheit, and 
it remains precisely the same, winter and summer. No 
sound — not even the loudest peal of thunder — can lie 
heard beyond the distance of one quarter of a mile in the 
cave. 

In concluding this sketch of the eighth wonder of the 
world, the narrator, ere he closes, would warn the venture- 
some tourist not to leave the presence of the guide by stray- 
ing away, in too e-iger anticipation of exploring, as the 
following incident will relate : — 

Some years ago, a young man (a miner), new to the cave, 
was sent with an older workman to the Salt Room, for the 
purpose of digging a few sacks of the required article ; the 
young fellow — like most young men — was a little vain, and 
wishing to show off his bravery, declined the older man's 
advice and warning, and went off alone farther in the inte- 
rior. Several hours elapsed, and the wanderer not return- 
ing, his companion and fellow-workmen became alarmed. A 
consultation was speedily held, and six volunteers arranged 
to search ; they were negroes, and previous to their starting 
on their errand of mercy were stripped half naked. It may 
therefore be imagined how extraordinary was their appear- 
ance. The young miner, in the mean while, had of course 
lost his way, stumbled over a rock, and dropped his lamp, 
which was immediately extinguished. The frightened man 
prayed for help in his terror, but hours passed away, and he 
in utter darkness was conjuring up all manner of demoniacal 
fancies ; madness almost seized him ; he thought he had 
quitted earth, was disembodied — in fact, he was in the place 
of torments reserved for sinners. He tried to gaze around 
him. Merciful powers! what were those moving figures? 
He had never seen anything hke them. They were spirits 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 205 

sent to drag him to punishment ! He heard their yells. 
Were ever mortal voices like the wild outburst ringing in his 
ears? Never, never! Nearer and nearer they come. He 
tries, in his wild, agonized delirium, to beat them off. It is 
too late, for still they come ; he is conscious of their hot and 
hissing breath ; their arms are outstretched to clutch him ; he 
will soon be in their embrace fast locked. Horrible ! Horri- 
ble ! They have him — they are not devils, but miners like 
himself. He soon recognizes his fellow-workmen, and knows 
that he is a saved man! "Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" 
Never did the Mammoth Cave reverberate with such hearty 
shouts as on the memorable occasion of the miner's rescue. 
In the words of the poet, we might say : — 

" Father, how wide thy glory shines, 
How high thy wonders rise! 
Known through the earth by thousand signs, 
By thousands through the skies. 

" For the grandeur of thy nature, 
Grandbeyond a seraph's thought; 
For the wonders of creation, 
Works with skill and kindness wrought." 

Since writing the above respecting the Mammoth Cave, 
Louisville, Ky., on March 28, 1890, suffered a disaster un- 
precedented in the history of this State, — that of a cyclone 
of fifteen minutes' duration, devastating the city, and de- 
stroying nearly one hundred lives and two thousand five hun- 
dred peaceful homes. The terrible whirlwind passed on to 
adjacent towns with its relentless fury, and sacrificed life and 
property as long as the tornado swept across the face of the 
unfortunate country. 

From Boston to Chicago. 

The night ride in an excursion train from Boston to 
Chicago is full of interest. Starting in the bewildering 
darkness from the Boston & Lowell depot, we emerged into 
the far distant country with great rapidity ; the passengers' 
lively talking, in the confusion and ex< itement of getting 
off, simmers down to incoherent murmurs, then to silence, 
until the conductor of the train passes through for tickets, 



206 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

thus awakening up some irritable old man or woman. A 
change of engine and engineers takes place every so many 
miles in long-distance travel ; also a change of conductors 
and brakemen about every fifty miles. 

The rush for breakfast next morning at the first stopping 
place was very amusing, each person jolting the other, as 
twenty minutes ate only allowed, and the bewildered attend- 
ants are flying hither and thither at the clamoring demands 
made to satisfy the "inner man." Many a character of 
strong mind could be observed at those times, the noisy and 
boisterous getting their fill long before the more timid and 
diffident get anything. Bashfulness does not pa} 7 on the 
road ; one must lose his identity for a time, to live at all on 
railway journeys of some hundreds of miles 

On arriving at Burlington, Vt., news of President Gar- 
field's untimely death reached our ears, and words more 
forcible than polite were expressed in vengeance against the 
assassin, Guiteau. As we push on towards the Canadian 
frontier, custom-house officers board the train, and examine 
our baggage, valises, etc., which causes much fluttering 
and excitement amongst the lady passengers, most of whom 
imagine they have something in their satchel chargeable for 
excise duty. 

When we arrived at Montreal we found all public and pri- 
vate buildings draped with mourning emblems of woe, and 
flags were half-mast high, the " Union Jack" and the " Stars 
and Stripes" side by side, in solemn rivalry, as it were ; each 
ensign endeavoring to pay veneration to the murdered Presi- 
dent. 

Montreal. 

The city of Montreal is reached by crossing the Victoria tubu- 
lar bridge, over the St. Lawrence River. The structure is built 
of iron, with stone supports, and the ventilation of the huge 
tube is attained by a kind of port-holes at intervals, making 
a curious, subdued light within. The length of the bridge is 
unknown to the writer, but it must be some hundreds of 
feet, and is a magnificent work of engineering skill. 

The Montreal railway depot was one of the worst ap- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 207 

pointed stations to be seen in any city of its size ; dirty, 
ill-managed, and inconvenient. 

No proper waiting-rooms or lavatory were provided, and 
the tramp-like appearance of the weary travellers from all 
parts of the habitable globe, sitting on rough benches or 
on the floor, gave the aspect of the place a " Castle Garden " 
look, without its order or cleanliness. The building itself 
was a very poor one, and somewhat of a disgrace to the 
Canadian authorities of so important a city ; the difference 
being very noticeable after travelling through the large cities 
of the States, and seeing some of their well-appointed rail- 
way stations. 

Fair at Montreal. 

Having to wait some ten hours for arrangements of the 
railway people for another locomotive, gave us a fine oppor- 
tunity to visit the annual agricultural fair, held on the out- 
skirts of Montreal ; and it is but justice to say, the quantity 
and quality of the stock exhibited was the finest we had seen 
on this continent ; the immense enclosures and pens for 
cattle were surprisingly large. Great amusement was here 
for the sight-seers — horse and pony racing for prizes, and 
plenty of good music. The military bands accompanying 
the lieutenant-governor and his escort being on the fair 
grounds, gave a great edat to the whole proceedings. We 
were told some thirty thousand persons were present at-this 
agricultural meeting, while the mixed -patois of the Canadians 
sounded somewhat strangely to an English ear. 

Montreal Catholic cathedral is a fine edifice, with some 
magnificent paintings on its sacred walls. 

Toronto. 

Once more in the cars, we again pressed onward, and 
reached Toronto after some hours' ride. The welcome stay 
of half an hour for refreshments was well spent, and invig- 
orated the -weary traveller. Coffee, tea, cold chicken, sand- 
wiches, and lager beer were disposed of very quickly, and 
relished exceedingly, as no other opportunity for comforting 
the inner man would occur for fourteen hours. Dunns: our 



208 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

short stop at Toronto it was noticeable that the railway 
officials swept out the cars, opcuing the doors and windows 
to let in pure air, a very necessary precaution, as some pas- 
sengers must needs spend their time in apple-paring and 
eating peanuts, leaving the shells as a sort of remembrance 
of their slovenliness in the long car-ride. 

Toron;o depot is just the reverse of Montreal, being 
cleanly, spacious, and well looked after, and with good 
waiting and refreshment rooms; the structure appeared 
newly erected, well ventilated, and lofty. 

At 12, noon, the bell of the locomotive rung its signal for 
departure ; we scampered to our seats, and away we went, 
tearing and dashing through the country the rest of the day 
and all the following night ; while at every town or village, 
mourning flags and streamers of bunting waved sadl} T in the 
wind, sighing, as it were, a mournful requiem on the tragic 
death of the nation's favorite. Screaming, panting, and 
rushing along, the " iron horse" gallantly carries its load of 
human freight in the great line of cars towards our destina- 
tion ; and as evening again closes in, conversation gradually 
subsides, and men, women, and children nod and sway once 
more with the oscillation of the swift transit, till finally all 
ej'es are closed in forgetfulness of fatigue, except when the 
tired wife leans her head more comfortably on her husband's 
shoulder, or the devoted lover rearranges the wraps for the 
twentieth time for his darling. Presently the car door 
dashes open for another inspection of tickets by the new and 
relentless conductor ; the sleepy passengers slowly awake to 
consciousness, inwardly vowing vengeance on the Grand 
Trunk Railway Company's rules, show their tickets, get 
them punched, turn over and go to sleep again, if possible. 

The travelling public are great water drinkers ; if anything 
displeases an American (male or female), it is the lack of 
water supply. The repetitions of the doses of the beverage, 
out of dirty pitchers find glasses, were surprising to behold. 
A constant trot to the filter or receptacle is kept up, night 
and day ; or if a car-boy brings the watery fluid along, 
numerous outstretched hands are seen to grasp the misty- 
looking glasses, to satisfy the ever-thirsty souls. .Some others 
of the passengers strengthen themselves by drinking, on the 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 209 

sly, something stronger than water, with all the innocence of 
old campaigners of the rum or cordial bottle. 

Port Royal.' 

On reaching Port Royal the cars are placed on steam fer- 
ries, and we were transported across Lake George, and are 
again in the United States, though not before the Canadian 
custom-house officials gave us a token of their regards as a 
farewell souvenir, by coming around with their eagle eyes to 
once more inspect our valises and travelling satchels, detain- 
ing some and passing others, causing much anxiety amongst 
the ladies, who perchance had bought some articles in Mon- 
treal, and were afraid of their being confiscated. 

As we proceeded further westward, we observed miles of 
freight cars, with upper and lower compartments for hogs, 
and cars full of oxen lined the side tracks, just come in from 
the far West ; the poor animals seemed very jaded and quiet 
in their narrow, penned-up places, awaiting their final desti- 
nation and destruction. The immense number of hogs seen 
on the road are almost bewildering, so that one is apt to 
think the forests of the far Western world must be overrun 
with these animals. We could always tell, even when a long 
distance away (if the wind blew in our direction) , the vicinity 
of the " large pig tribe," for the effluvia from their hides was 
very powerful, and not a pleasant perfume. 

Chicago. 

After many delays, to allow other trains to pass, and 
several false alarms, we at last sighted Chicago, or rather, 
the suburbs. The grand junction of the railway companies 
of the West is at this point, and forms many miles of freight 
cars, of all colors, shapes, and sizes. The land in this dis- 
tiict appeared of the most fertile kind ; black, loamy earth on 
all sides seems to abound at the commencement of the prairie 
soil. 

A good impression of Chicago is not gained from the 
outskirts of the city. Before alighting at the depot of 
the Grand Trunk Railway, busy men on the dirty, grimy 



210 RAMBLES IX AMERICA. 

wharves meet the eye everywhere ; the din and noise were 
most deafening, and the muddy waters about the wharfage 
had a very sickening look ; added to which the soft-coal 
smoke of the numerous tug steamers and locomotives causes 
a gloomy look to the surrounding atmosphere, and a sense 
of depression to the new-comer in the city. 

But once away from all this, in the city proper, quite a 
revulsion of feeling pervades the visitor on his arrival. 
Elegant hotels of immense dimensions and magnificent public 
buildings meet the eye in the principal thoroughfares, and 
fine business stores in the chief streets of commerce are some 
of the leading features here. Also showy restaurants and 
lager beer saloons, with large placards on the outside, notify- 
ing that a free lunch is ready to be served on that day ; soup, 
fried sausages, and other dainties are given away, so that 
the purchase of a glass of beer entitles the hungry man to 
all this free entertainment of liberty ; and the first-class 
arrangements of these bar-rooms bear good comparison with 
most of the dingy saloons of other cities in the Union. 

The business of all kinds done in Chicago must be im- 
mense for so young a city ; such hurrying to and fro of 
the people, in the same excitable manner as the New Yorkers 
have in their thronged thoroughfares. 

To describe Chicago would take a volume of its own, but 
a few leading remarks to my readers may not be deemed 
inappropriate. In the telling of the rapid growth of this 
Western city, one cannot go back of the present century — 
in fact, hardly previous to this generation ; and yet in that 
brief space of time it has accomplished what would have 
required hundreds of years in more pretentious places, and 
generations not been able to achieve for any other city on 
the Western continent. 

While the entire population of the county in which Chicago 
is situated was only 10,201 in 1«40, the city alone in 1881 
numbered more than 500,000 persons; and in 18!)0 the gov- 
ernment census enumerates Chicago at 1,101,253 people, 
and it now ranks the second city in the Union. The growth 
of commerce and business for the same time has not been 
lacking to the increase in population. In 1850, the manu- 
facturers and wholesale dealers did a business of $20,000,- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 211 

000; this had increased to $764,000,000 in 1879. In the 
year 1880 it had reached 8910,000,000. 

It must be borne in mind that during the last number of 
years the city of Chicago has passed through an ordeal of 
fire second to none in modern times. Between the sunset 
of Sunday, Oct. 9, 1871, and the same hour of the succeed- 
ing day, there were destroyed in the very heart of the city 
17.450 buildings, which, with the property contained in them, 
represented more than two hundred million dollars ; and yet 
only eight years after, the city was rebuilt in greater magnifi- 
cence and splendor, and has almost doubled its population. 

The Crib. 

Chicago is supplied with water by two colossal pumping- 
works, with the enormous pumping capacity of 76,000,000 
gallons per da} r , both drawing their supply from the same 
source, called the" Crib," situated over two miles out in 
Lake Michigan, and to which a small steamer conveys visit- 
ors twice a day, to view the apparatus or pumping works. 
Just previous to our leaving the wharf in the steamer for the 
"Crib," a drunken man tried to get on board, when he 
slipped and fell overboard into the murky water ; the screams 
of the ladies and the coolness of some Germans, eating pea- 
nuts, who never moved in any way, or left off munching the 
nuts, were very amusing ; the man was fished out, partially 
sobered, and taken, half bewildered, to some other "crib" 
by a policeman. 

The Chicago River provides more than forty miles of dock- 
age, and Lake Michigan furnishes an outlet to the seaports 
of the world, by way of the great chain of lakes and the St. 
Lawrence River ; while the great railroads radiating from all 
directions put the city in communication with the world by 
land. By the statistics of the post-office department, Chicago 
is only second in the amount of post-office business trans- 
acted. 

The streets of Chicago are like the avenues of New York, 
running at right angles, and are easy to the stranger in find- 
ing his way around, as all directions are by the points of the 
compass, north, south, east, and west. The streets in the 



212 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

best localities are well paved with macadamized roads, and 
in some parts with wood blocks. 

Since the big fire of 1871, great improvements have been 
made in the new public buildings ; fine structures have been 
erected in the place of the old wooden dwellings and shan- 
ties, the most noticeable being the new post-office, custom 
house, and court house, all of them colossal in size, built of 
granite, and of good design. 

Palmer House. 

The hotels, such as the Palmer House, about defy descrip- 
tion. The magnificence of this establishment is almost be- 
yond comparison in grandeur. It stands on a large area of 
ground in one square block, and is built of granite ; the in- 
terior arrangements are such as to suit the most fastidious ; 
elegance and comfort are here combined, and the well- 
trained colored attendants are very polite and attentive. 
In truth, the Palmer House is an abode of bewildering 
space, luxuriousness, and ease, with everything for the well- 
appointed table that money can purchase, from the prairie 
chicken to the sweet-eating lake perch. The interior deco- 
rations of this hotel are superb, and the entrance hall of 
tesselated pavement is very fine : the whole surroundings 
are such as we Eastern people could hardly believe to exist 
in a Western city of such rapid growth. 

Electric Light in Chicago. 

Nearly all the large hotels and business premises are 
lighted by electricity, a noted tailor's establishment having 
as many as sixty small electric lights, and the customers in 
the oyster saloon basement of the large building appeared 
like a sepulchral race of beings, all blue and steely-looking, 
by the action of the luminary, as if they were moon-struck 
while devouring the bivalves. The strong electric light in 
many parts of the city gives a poor reflection to where the 
old-style gas jets flit their feeble rays. Some writers on 
Chicago have said that much bad element exists among its 
citizens in the city's midst ; if it does, one has to look 



KAMBLES IN AMERICA. 213 

around for it, as in any other large city. The people here 
we found, as a rule, courteous, agreeable, and off-hand, 
quick in manner, and all seemed bent on making money and 
spending it. 

On one of the sultry days we went for a few hours' fishing 
on Lake Michigan, whose waters wash the esplanade of the 
windy city. A tug steamer took us about two miles in the 
stream to a long pier, then in process of erection ; poles and 
lines were provided at small cost, and we found men, 
women, and children by the hundreds fishing awa} r , and 
catching the finny tribe as soon as the lines were thrown in ; 
a pailful of fine perch could he taken in two or three hours. 
While intently watching for a bite, a stranger at my side 
deliberately drew from his hip pocket a pistol, and dis- 
charged the weapon so quickly and kept firing so rapidly at 
some wild ducks a short distance off, that one felt a little 
farther down the pier was advisable, as the ever-ready pistol, 
the curse of this country, is always on hand for bird or man. 

Sunday in Chicago. 

Chicago on a Sunday is a free and easy place, so many 
beer saloons open all day in high glory ; also some business 
stores, though the better portion remain closed as in any 
other city. '1 he theatres are mostly open, excepting Hav- 
erley's ; matinees in the afternoon, crowds surging in for 
tickets on the Sabbath like any other day. We were told 
that the Western German and Bohemian element in a man- 
ner control affairs here, and the authorities either will not or 
dare not inteifere with such a state of things. Gambling is 
much carried on in this as in most Western cities. 

By the Chicago newspaper accounts on Monda}* mornings, 
one would think most of the crime of the week is committed 
in the low dives, saloons, or singing-halls on Sunday even- 
ings ; clubbing and shooting (sometimes fatally) are the 
results of this baneful disregard of the Sabbath day. They 
seem to act as if Sunday was nothing to them ; excursions 
here, there, and everywhere ; mone}--making and pleasure- 
seeking run riot, to the utter exclusion of everything else. 
Naturally, numbers of good, respectable families deplore 



214 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

this desecration of the holy day, and some of the clergymen 
condemn it in a mild way in their churches ; but the earnest- 
ness seems wanting to suppress it, and the system lias grown 
up with the new city as part and parcel of its government. 
One might say with Shakespeare at such a time as this : — 

"A gloomy picture this morning with it brings ; 
The sun for sorry will not show his head." 

We found that in consequence of the cutting of rates, a 
great deal of travel was done between Kansas, Chicago, and 
other cities, coming and going to alt points ; some visiting 
long neglected parents, others to see brothers and sisters 
and family connections, after many years' absence. A fine- 
looking young man journeyed fourteen hundred miles to see 
his aged father, and recalled how he hoped to find the old 
man well, and how he longed to see him, to hear his loved 
voice again, after so many years' separation ; and then 
thought of the good-by, perhaps for the last time. The 
young fellow's eyes dimmed when he realized this, and 
he said, " Sir, I am afraid this is my last visit to the old 

man ! " 

"And swiftly will the destiny close on us." 

Kansas Boy in Chicago. 

Riding on the horse-car to one of the parks hereabout, a 
bright-eyed, brown-cheeked boy sat beside me, with a rifle on 
his knee. On questioning him about the use of the tire-arm, 
he smiled as he answered me naively, kt I have come all the 
way from Kansas to Chicago, on purpose to buy a little 
stock of ball cartridges for my rifle, because we cannot 
get them at home so good." So many hundred miles for 
such a purchase seemed astounding ; but the smart youngster 
explained that he was fourteen years old, that himself and 
another boy of his own age were hunters in the woods in 
Kansas ; and that they got their living so many months of 
the year by shooting birds and taking them to towns and 
selling them ; and they also earned some money for destroy- 
ing obnoxious little animals which were a pest to the farmers' 
crops, and for the riddance of which the young hunters 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 215 

received a small bounty per head. With their parents' con- 
sent, these youngsters lived their wild life, and from the art- 
less way in which he spoke of it, one had no reason to 
discredit the story. On asking about his return to Kansas, 
he stiid, " I came here yesterday, and I am off to-night. I 
have got my stock of bullets, and I am all right ; so good-by 
to you, sir." 

Theatres in Chicago. 

Chicago has several good theatres. We visited two of 
them. Haverley's new opera house, just then finished build- 
ing, is a spacious structure, and would seat a large assemblage. 
The interior decorations were somewhat coarse and showy- 
looking, giving the idea of a sort of gingerbread look to the 
place. We were told the theatre was built in a short time, 
which perhnps accounted for the quick way of doing the 
decorative work of the proscenium and ceiling. However, 
a good, roomy stage and excellent scenery gave the oppor- 
tunity for doing full justice to one of Shakespeare's comedies, 
both in stage appointments and players, Messrs. Rohson and 
Crane, and their daughters, playing the chief characters. 

McVicker's Theatre is an older place of amusement, and 
like all opera houses a few years built, has begun to look 
dingy and faded. The same might be said of New York, 
London, and Paris theatres ; the gas and bad atmospheric 
ventilation ruin all good artistic coloring in a very short 
time. 

During our stay in this city we heard the Rev. Mr Swing 
give an elaborate oration on the death of Gen. Garfield, in a 
large and commodious Music Hall, of very superior character 
for sight and sound ; also we heard some good solo singing, 
and a well-trained choir added to the enjoyment (a solemn 
one) on that occasion. Our party went on Sunday evening 
to a large Methodist gathering, the theme being also on the 
President's tragic death ; speakers of eminence were there, 
and spoke their thoughts very fluently. Some of the church 
services in Chicago seem to be held in large halls, over stores, 
and we had some difficulty in finding our particular one, up 
two flights of stairs, right opposite a large showily lighted 



216 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

saloon. The position seemed inappropriate to the sacred 
character of its calling, but the residents did not appear to 
be annoyed. 

A visit to the fire department of this city is an interesting 
one, consisting, as it does, of three hundred and seventy-six 
officers and men, and corresponding number of hose and 
hook and ladder companies. 

There are about two thousand acres of ground in and 
about Chicago devoted to parks, and when completed by im- 
provements they will be fine recreation grounds for the 
people ; the cost of securing this laud was five million dol- 
lars. 

There are several tunnels in Chicago, the most prominent 
of which is Lake Tunnel, completed in 1865, extending from 
the water-works to the "Crib' in the lake, two miles long, 
through which the water is conducted to the main works, 
supplying the city with as pure water as can be found in the 
world. 

Racine. 

Racine is situated about sixty -five miles from Chicago, on 
Lake Michigan, and the sail by steamer in fine weather must 
be very delightful, but unfortunately our day changed from 
fair weather to foul ; and as we had heard such alarming 
accounts of Lake Michigan's fury when in a storm, it did not 
allay our fears. Numerous and fatal shipwrecks happen in 
the rough and boisterous season of these " inland seas," 
steamers and sailing vessels foundering at times in their 
treacherous waters, with all on board ; however, it was not 
so bad with us. 

We arrived safely at Racine, a small city or t >wnship of 
18,000 inhabitants. The trade chiefly carried on here is in 
carriages of durable manufacture, wagons, trunks, britanuia 
ware, and other metals. The town is situated on the banks 
of Lake Michigan, and many fine residences are seen of self- 
made men of the place, who either partly own the stock of 
the busy factories, or are superintendents of the same. 

A kind friend entertained t'ie writer at his home on arrival, 
and as it was Saturday evening (promenade night in country 
towns), we were shown all the tk lions" of the place. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 217 

Milwaukee is about twenty-five miles from Racine ; and 
several appointments, taking us back by the midnight steamer 
to Chicago, prevented our seeing what is said to be a very 
charming city, though a great gloom has fallen on the town 
by the (then) recent calamitous and dreadful fire at a hotel 
there, where so many visitors and employees were sacrificed 
to the fiery element, and which conflagration caused a great 
sympathy of feeling throughout the length and breadth of 
the land. 

" 'T is over, over! here is no present now; 
All life lies in the past." 

The Stock Yard at Chicago. 

The Stock Yard of Chicago is about five miles on the out- 
skirts of the city proper, and taking the horse-car we are 
carried over one of the numerous drawbridges which cut the 
town, as it were, in two sections; we are thence taken 
through what one would call old Chicago, for the poor aspect 
of some of the streets, with such a motley collection of shabby 
tenement houses and cottages, caused one to think that the 
big fire swept away a miserable number of dwellings, if the 
better quarter was anything like these poor, squalid places. 

Arriving at the Stock Yard, we found almost a small town 
within the limits of its walled enclosures and spacious en- 
trance gates. The large area of many acres, for the recep- 
tion of cattle, etc., from all parts of the West, comprises a 
little municipality almost of its own, for here were hotels, 
banks, police stations, aud numerous places of business, 
such as offices, etc., for the owners and buyers, besides the 
miles of pens for the cattle. 

The hog trade done here is well known as the head centre 
of the pork-packing business of the world, for they are 
slaughtered, dressed, and sent off to all parts of the globe. 
The immense supply and demand for pig meat must be won- 
derfully large, for we were told by one of the officials of the 
Yard that as many as some three thousand hogs were killed, 
dressed, and packed away in a day ; and on invitation to 
visit the shambles or slaughter sheds, to see the practical 
woi kings of the system, a few moments' insight was enough 
for a lifetime. 



218 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

On entering the building or shed, we found a large, ram- 
bling-formed, rough place, with large tables or benches run- 
ning down the centre ; on each side of which stood a row of 
uncouth-looking men and boys, dressed in water-proof over- 
alls and aprons, and all besmeared with blood. These 
worthies were laughing, singing, cursing, and swearing, and, 
armed with knives of all sizes, were at their unpleasant work 
of disembowelling the hogs, after scraping the hair off the 
creatures from a scalded bath. 

The most painful sight of the whole affair was the commence- 
ment of the necessary tragedy. An innocent-looking small 
boy gently drives the poor hogs with a whip, up an incline 
from the pens, into a partitioned sort of avenue which narrows 
at one end, so that two men easily seize the first victim which 
comes, fasten a rope and chain around its hind legs, head 
downwards, when the body of the pig revolves round by a 
kind of derrick to the executioner, who stands prepared with 
a long, sharp knife, and at once plunges the steel blade 
into the throat of the animal ; the blood pours out in streams, 
and the carcase is still kept revolving until its quivering flesh 
is thrown into the scalding hot-water bath; it remains there 
a few seconds only, is then lifted out and passed on to the 
tables, and rough butcher men, with their water-proof aprons 
and sharp knives, do the rest of the business, that of scraping 
the bristles off the skins of the hogs while the body is warm. 
The carcass is then dissected for dressing and packing. 

Of course, it is necessary that some persons should have 
to do this unpleasant work of preparing food for us, but the 
brutalizing influence it must have, particularly on young men 
and boys, we fear is somewhat great; however, our grand 
relief was. to get away outside of the Stock Yard aud its 
mysteries as soon as possible. 

Since our visit to Chicago in 1881, the pioneer Western 
city has grown in population, wealth, and commerce, aud 
to-day, in 1S90, commands great attention from all classes 
on the American continent and the world generally. The 
contention respecting the location of the proposed World's 
Fair has been decided by a recent vote of Congress in favor 
of the lake city, Chicago, to be held in 1893. The work 
required by the various committees in the furtherance of the 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 219 

organization will need some skilful handling in the comple- 
tion of this big undertaking. We trust, however, that no 
animosity of bitter party feeling from other disappointed 
cities will take place, and prevent the great exhibition from 
becoming a positive success, financially and socially. 

Chicago to New York. 

The day of our departure to return eastward happened to 
be the day of the funeral obsequies of the lamented President 
Garfield, so that we found some difficulty in reaching the 
Pennsylvania, Pittsburg & Fort Wayne depot ; the streets 
being blocked with soldiers, populace, and vehicles, as the 
line of procession was forming in near imitation of the real 
funeral pageant then taking place at Cleveland, Ohio. Cer- 
tainly Chicago had done her share in the way of mourning 
processions and display of grief . From the magnificent Court 
House, down to the humblest dwelling-place, black drapery 
was visible everywhere, interspersed with flags at half-mast. 

The railway station we were leaving is said to be the long- 
est depot building in America. As we moved homeward, 
we were much surprised to find such solid, well-built track- 
bed road ; every few miles a watchman is stationed in a little 
wooden house, to protect the railway road, and to give notice 
when out of repair. The whole of the foundation of the 
track level appeared to be laid with macadamized stone, and 
throughout the mauy hundred miles traversed on this line to 
New York (via New Jersey) we observed the same uniform 
and splendid line of car-road, with steel rails and double 
track. The reputation of this company is well deserved, and 
in all its arrangements of speed and comfort is almost un- 
approachable by any other corporation of railway manage- 
ment in the country. The handsome, large, lofty, and well- 
lighted cars are unsurpassed, excepting the New York, New 
Haven & Hartford Railway Company on which road the cars 
ai'e invariably good ones, but not so large as the Western, 
whose sleeping, drawing-room, and ordinary cars are elegant 
in their appointments, and beyond praise for comfort and the 
rapidity of the travelling and making of connections ; they 
are far better managed than many other lines of long or 
short distance travel. 



220 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



Alleghany Mountains. 

The run homeward was of much briefer duration by some 
houis than the circuitous route we had traversed westward, 
by the Grand Trunk Railway ; but the chief charm of the 
whole journe}' (after a short stop at Pittsburg for breakfast) 
was the ascent and view of that magnificent work of Nature, 
the Alleghany Mountains. A large observation car is 
attached to the train for those who wish for an uninterrupted 
view of the many miles of mountainous scenery of so grand 
a character, interspersed by hill, dale, and valley ; the incline 
of the ascent is very gradual by the engine and train, and 
the descent is carefully managed by competent engineers, so 
that no danger whatever is felt or experienced. 

To express the magnificence of that morning's charming 
ride would be simply impossible, it was so different from 
what one had seen before in this wonderful country, so full 
of natural scenery. The varied, wild, weird-like views of 
mountain and glen, forest and lake, on either side of us, 
were grand indeed. The e3'e never wearied in those four 
hours of such a banquet of Nature in all its sublimity ; the 
clear, beautiful sight was like a vision, and not to be for- 
gotten for many a long day to come. With the poet we might 

say : — 

" Majestic monarch of the cloud! 
Who rear'st aloft thy regal form, 
To hear the tempest trumpings loud, 
And see the lightning lances driven! " 

We might add an item of interest to our readers ; the 
recent census of June, 1890, enumerates Alleghany City at 
105,000 population. Alleghany County numbers 500,000 
inhabitants. While the busy, bituminous city of Pittsburg 
counts 240,000 people, mostly industrious workers in coal 
and iron. 

The Steamship "City of Rome." 

While crossing the North River, at New York, and observ- 
ing a splendid model of an ocean steamer, just arrived from 
Liverpool, England, the writer was curious enough to ask her 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 221 

name, and also gleaned the following facts, which are now 
submitted to the reader. 

The steamship ' ' City of Rome " was built a few years ago 
by the Barrow Shipbuilding Company, on the Clyde, origi- 
nally for the Inman fleet, but soon after sold to the Anchor 
Line, and is to-day a favorite ocean flyer between Liverpool 
and New York. At the launching of this magnificent 
steamer, more than usual interest was attached to the inci- 
dent, owing to the fact that she was the largest vessel in the 
mercantile service, and in engines the most powerful. 

The "City of Rome," in structural proportion and design, 
presented a remarkable contrast to the late " Great Eastern" 
steamship, to which she stood next in magnitude on the 
ocean highway ; the latter vessel resembled a stately ark, 
with towering walls and ponderous hull, massive and stupen- 
dous rather than elegant. The conditions are reversed in the 
newer product of naval architecture. 

The " City of Rome " is of great length, of tapering form, 
symmetrical lines, and graceful mould, so that the inex- 
perienced observer is scarcely able to realize her enormous 
dimensions ; her tonnage is returned as being 8,82G tons. 
The length of this leviathan vessel is 586 feet, her breadth 
of beam is 52 feet, and her depth of hold 75 feet, while 
her beautifully modulated line suggest to the beholder an 
impression of buoynnt grace rather than that of vast magni- 
tude ; yet her carrying power, notwithstanding the clipper 
bow, rounded stern, and trim masts, is as great as any other 
vessel afloat. 

The magnificent engines are intended to work constantly 
at 8,000 indicated horse-power, although capable of develop- 
ing upwards of 10.000. A technical description of the en- 
gines would hardly be intelligible to the unprofessional reader, 
and it is enough to say that they are not ouly of giant power, 
but include all the latest improvements for economizing force, 
and holding them under the readiest control. 

This fine steamer can carry about six thousand tons of 
cargo and oftentimes as many as two thousand human 
beings across the Atlantic. The internal arrangements and 
appointments for the convenience of passengers and crew are 
of the most admirable character. The state-room berths of 



222 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

the cabin passengers are spacious and airy, while those for 
the emigrants, of whom the " Cit} r of Rome" carries an 
immense complement, are open, well lighted, and well appor- 
tioned. The saloons, boudoirs, smoking rooms, bath-rooms 
and drawing-room parlors are furnished in a luxurious style, 
with rich ornamentations, and every appliance to make the 
voyage pleasant and comfortable ; all the principal apart- 
ments and engine-room are lighted with electric light 
(Stevens's lamps), and the scene at night is as brilliant as at 
noonday. The vessel is, in fact, a floating palace, and 
though others of the great ocean-going steamships may rival 
her in this character and speed, none excel her in luxury, 
while in capacity and engine power she is in the front rank 
of England's mercantile marine. This magnificent vessel, at 
the time of my writing, was under the command of Capt. J. 
Kennedy. 

Since the " City* of Rome" was built, other superb steam- 
ers have been modelled and launched, such as the " Etruria," 
'* Aurauia," and " Umbria," of the celebrated Cunard Line of 
ocean greyhounds; the "America," of the National Line, a 
fleet sailer ; with the sister ships of the Inman Company, " City 
of New York" and " City of Paris." The latter vessel was 
the queen of the seas up to February, 1890, for speed ; her 
latest record across the Atlantic being six days and foui teen 
hours. Each of these vessels' tonnage is returned at the 
colossal figures of 10.500 horse-power each. A new vessel 
for the White Star Line, called the " Majestic," said to be 
of immense power, is now champion of the ocean. 

The Steamship "Austral." 

The " Austral," of the Anchor Line, chartered for Atlantic 
trips during the summer of 1*84, is a fine model of a vessel ; 
not so large as the k ' City of Rome," but spacious enough to 
accommodate eight hundred passengers of all classes, and 
two hundred officers, seamen, stokers, trimmers, engineers, 
stewards, waiters, etc. 

The writer of these pages was one of the thousand souls 
that traversed the wide waters of the Atlantic in September. 
1884, on the return journey to America from a three months' 



RAMULES IN AMERICA. 223 

visit to kind relatives in Scotland and England ; and from 
the occasional fearful rocking and lurching of the huge 
vessel, we do not recommend the equinoctial gale month 
(September) as a pleasant time to travel. Cold, cutting 
winds and rain-storms made the trip very unpleasant; about 
two thirds of the passengers were prostrated with seasick- 
ness, and of that charming complaint the narrator suffered 
very much. One afternoon in particular, some persons said 
they were altering the sailing-gear ; anyway, while we were 
quietly reading on deck, the huge, two-funelled and four- 
masted steaiiK r gave such a roll to one side that passengers 
and all kinds of crockery were sent flying in every direction. 
Some of us closed our eyes for the return lurch, thinking of 
a capsize, but the sturdy vessel righted itself, and the 
blanched faces of the passengers was a good subject for 
jibes by the unfeeling crew. 

Another little episode in connection with this steamship 
About eleven o'clock at night, the wind blowing a stiff 
breeze, we were awakened in our cabin berths by a large 
body of water forcing its way into our sleeping apartment. 
We immediately thought that the ship had sprung a leak, 
and everybody awoke in a moment ; sitting up iu bed, with 
the aid of the electric light, could see a steady stream pour- 
ing in. Some of us began hurriedly to dress, while one 
young fellow, an Irishman, fresh from Dublin, with no other 
apparel but a night-shirt on him, leaped from his berth, ran 
to the compauionway, and there screamed, " Watch ! Mur- 
der ! The ship is sinking ! " etc. He told us afterwards that 
not a soul on deck paid the least attention to him, so he came 
down and waded through the water to his bed again, i he 
officer t,f the watch came calmly along, some time after- 
wards, and said the leakage was caused by one of the large 
water tanks bursting, and advised us to go to sleep, 'if pos- 
sible, once more. The young Dublinite was a singer of 
some repute, but the promenade on the deck in his thin ha- 
biliments caused him to have a severe cold and loss of voice. 
We may mention that among the f lightened passengers at 
this time were two deaf and dumb young men, who, when 
they saw the '* leakage," sat bolt upright in their berth, and 
talked like inspired mutes, with their finger vocabulary, till 
the excitement subsided. 



224 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

Great credit is due to the liberality of the Anchor Line 
Company for the bountiful table of all sorts of viands. The 
chief steward, in his order for the da} T , was never niggardly 
in his bill of fare. Everything promised in the first and 
second cabins was faithfully carried out, and no doubt the 
steerage accommodation was a fair average of excellence, 
considering the small fare charged for the voyage. 

Steamship " Devonia." 

So much for the " Austral." Let us glance back for a 
few moments to another of the numerous steamships of the 
Anchor Line fleet, the "Devonia," a fine, spacious vessel, of 
somewhat less tonnage than the " Austral," but to the inex- 
perienced, a fair-sized boat to manage in foul weather. 
Leaving the pier at North River, New York, with the salu- 
tations and good wishes of kind friends, we started, in com- 
pany with the " Arizona," the " Fgypt," the " Britannic," 
and some French and German steamers, all on a summer 
cruise to Europe. The larger and more powerful steamers 
soon outstrip those of smaller calibre, and before night we 
all got separated, and then began the discussion on the 
merits of the different favorites of the ocean highway. 

A trip from New York to Glasgow is one of those treats 
only to be met with in midsummer time. With the excep- 
tion of the disagreeable fogs on the banks of Newfoundland, 
the voyage was almost on a calm sea, and fine weather over- 
head. As the Fourth of July was one of our ocean days, 
the celebration was kept up by all the passengers; pride 
lost itself in the distinction of classes for a while, and all 
went in for a real good time throughout the day. The cele- 
bration included racing around the spacious vessel, jumping 
in sack§, procession of antiques and horribles, concerts in 
the afternoou and evening, also recitations and speech 
recitals in commemoration of the day of independence. 
Scotch. English, Americans, and Irish all joined in celebrat- 
ing, the ladies taking a prominent part in the festivities ; 
dancing on the quarter-deck concluded the celebration of the 
Fourth of July, 1884, on shipboard in mid-ocean. Extra 
delicacies in the eating and drinking line were provided by 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 225 

the chief steward, and the purser had charge of the concerts 
and dancing. The captain, officers, engineers, and the 
small army of sailors and helpers all seemed to thoroughly 
enjoy the national day. 

A trip to Europe by the Anchor Line embraces a good 
deal ; particularly if the tourist travels b} T way of Glasgow, for 
the steamer touches at Moville via Londonderry, in Ireland, 
skirting the Emerald Isle, in all its beauty of lovely green 
tints of verdure ; and then we have a fine view of the 
" Giant's Causeway," looking very grand and majestic with 
its dark, frowning headland, overhanging bluffs, and fissures 
of the steep Causeway. The scenery about Antrim and 
Deny, in fact, all the sister counties in Ireland, seems teem- 
ing with fresh, natural beauties. 

As the " Devonia " speeded on, we approached the west 
eru coast of Scotland and the wild rugged landscape of 
moorland ; although the brown heather seemed in direct con- 
trast to the glistening green we had lately left, yet the pic- 
turesque mountains and glens, hills and dales of the beautiful 
Mull of Cantarre, Isle of Arran, and other magnificent views 
of natural scenery would almost bewilder the traveller in 
choosing between the two styles of verdant green and rocky 
mountain celebrities. 

We glided along past other points of great interest, histor- 
ically as well as naturally, till we sighted Greenock, a 
Scotch seaport of some enterprise, and the rendezvous for 
custom-house officers to examiue passengers' baggage, all 
articles therein being passed without delay or trouble. We 
wish we could say as much for the New York officials. Such 
confusion, such tumbling out of trunks at the barge office in 
New York, was almost bewildering ; then the delays by the 
cabin passengers' baggage getting mixed with other steamers' 
luggage recently arrived. As a natural consequence, nearly 
everything entering America (except individual clothing and 
personal effects) has a duty put on ; and it is laughable to 
see how persistent some officers are to ferret out, while others 
are somewhat good-natured in their search. It reminds one 
of the old proverb, " They strain at a gnat, and swallow a 
camel." They let go, and pass sometimes, most glaring 
breaches of the law, and detain goods of a most trivial value 



226 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

overnight, to be returned uext da}-, compelling passengers to 
stay at a hotel and incur expeuses, through their red-tape 
vagaries. 

But to return from this digression, and get to Glasgow 
from Greenock, which can be done by river or rail ; we pre- 
ferred the latter, having had nearly enough of water travel- 
ling for the present, and trusted in viewing the shipbuilding 
yards along the Clyde at a future time. 

As it is not our intention to dilate at length on descriptions 
of the Old Country, but confine ourselves in most particulars 
to the New Worl 1, a few words about Great Britain may not 
be uninteresting to the general reader ; but any attempt to 
describe the immensity of London, England, would require a 
large volume of its own. 

The Prince of Wales in Edinburgh. 

We met some hundreds of Americans in all parts of 
Europe, particularly about Edinburgh, which is a starting 
point of historical interest ; and we were especially fortunate 
(tint is, if one is fond of royalty) in being present in Ediu 
burgh on Aug. 23, 1884, when the Prince and Princess of 
Wales, their two sons and three daughters, arrived in the 
Scotch city, and visited the forestry exhibition, — a collection 
of various Scottish woods in their crude state, and also in 
the perfection of mechanical finish. 

The Queen's eldest sou looked as fat and jolly as ever ; 
his wife, the Princess of Wales, appeared as young, pretty, 
and amiable as when first married. Their sous and daugh- 
ters seemed healthydooking young people ; the princesses 
were very plainly dressed, without any apparent ostentation 
whatever, looking like young ladies just returning from 
school studies ; the oldest daughter, Louise, was married to 
the Karl (now Duke) of Fife during the season of 1889. 

The illustrious visitors were the guests of the Karl and 
Countess of Roseberry, of Dalmeny Park, situated about six 
miles from Edinburgh. This estate is very large, compris- 
ing many miles of forest, wood, and deer land, also acres of 
cultivated gardens. The young owner of this fine domain is 
very popular in Mid-Lothian ; the canny Scotch people appre- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 227 

ciate his liberal and kindly nature, in his strenuous efforts 
for political reform of long-standiug abuses. His amiable 
wife, the Countess of Roseberry, is the daughter of Baron 
Lionel Rothschild, and her dowry at her marriage a few 
years ago was said to be something away up in the millions. 

The Prince of Wales at the Forth Bridge. 

About two miles distant from the Roseberry property is a 
quaint old burgh or township, called " Queensferry," at pres- 
ent brought greatl} T into notice by the stupendous undertak- 
ing of difficult and dangerous big-bridge building from its 
shores. The Forth railway bridge, then being constructed 
across the wide part of the Frith of Forth, an arm of the sea, 
and lately completed, is one of the marvels of engineering 
skill, and will admit of vessels, of eveiy tonnage, sailing 
under. The structure is somewhat similar in construction to 
the Brooklyn East River bridge, excepting the Forth bridge 
is of cantilever design, and with such invariably rough wind 
and weather, as often happens on the Scotch coast, made 
this colossal work a serious and hazardous experiment 
of cantilever bridge building. A cablegram from London, 
March 4, 1890, informs us that ''The new great cantilever 
bridge over the Forth, near Kdinburgh, was opened to-day 
by the Prince of Wales, in the presence of many eminent 
engineers, railway directors, and a great mass of spectators. 
The day was kept as a holiday in Edinburgh, Leith, and many 
surrounding towns, causing much rejoicing over the opening of 
the bridge." Thus the great railways of Scotch and English 
interests will be materially enhanced by the connection of 
both shores, Queensferry and Fife, and a saving of time to 
travellers. The Prince and Princess of Wales and family, 
also Mr. Gladstone, then Premier of England, were much 
interested in this Forth bridge undertaking. 

It was interesting to notice the big, burly Scotch, English, 
and Irish workmen look on with curious eyes at the august 
party of royal visitors, and these poor fellows no doubt 
wondered how it was that some were so rich, without work 
(except Gladstone) , and others so poor with work. 

Many casualties and fatalities happened during the build- 



228 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

ing of this bridge, and the writer saw ambulances ready at 
the hotel near the river side, and was told that surgeons were 
in daily requisition to attend to the poor unfortunate bruised 
workers. 

Baronetcies have been conferred upon Mr. Thompson, the 
chairman of the Forth Bridge Company, and Sir John Fowler, 
consulting engineer of the work. Mr. Baker, the chief en- 
gineer of the bridge, and Mr. Arrol, the contractor, have 
been knighted. Thus these gentlemen have been honored by 
the Queen of England, as a tribute to their skill and ability 
in carrying out an undertaking second to none in the way of 
difficult bridge building. The cost of this cantilever struct- 
ure is said to amount to a fabulous sum, viz., 3, 1 77,206 
pounds sterling, and it took several years to complete it. 
Fifty thousand tons of steel were used, combined in spans of 
unparalleled size, for this greatest work kuown to the civil- 
ized world. 

A short carriage ride from Queensferry takes the tourist to 
the Earl of Hopetoun's estate, situated on the banks of the 
Frith of Forth, and is called the "Versailles of Scotland." 
The private garden of flower grounds is truly magnificent, 
comprising ninety acres, and the forestry land and deer park 
beyond are splendid ; hundreds of fallow deer were seen 
quietly grazing in the glades. We saw two trees, planted 
the da} r before our visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales ; 
and two other trees were shown us, planted by the King of 
Denmark and his daughter (the Princess of Wales) while on 
a visit ten years before. The mansion of the Earl of Hope- 
toun is built of gray granite, and is in the French style of 
architecture ; the mansion is very spacious, and beautifully 
furnished and decorated. 

The Right Honorable Ewart Gladstone in Edinburgh. 

During our stay with kind relatives in Edinburgh, the 
Honorable Ewart Gladstone was making a tour through Mid- 
Lothian, and giving addresses to immense audiences on his 
views of the franchise bill, and defending his policy against 
the antagonism of the House of Lords. We were presented 
with a ticket of admission to hear this wonderful political 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 229 

orator, in the large, covered building called " Waverley 
Market," holding some twent}' thousand people. The im- 
press of that marvellous voice, as we listened on the edge of 
that great crowd of upturned faces, was truly interesting. 
Full, mellow, and sonorous, with good emphasis, the veteran 
statesman deliveied his views with manly unction and much 
independence; and as he and his party, including the Earl 
of Roseberiy, left the thronged hall, a deafening shout of 
approbation vibrated through the building. The equipages 
of his young host (Roseberry) were truly regal ; most of the 
carriages have four horses, with postillions, preceded by 
outriders and mounted police. The royal escort is generally 
made up of mounted dragoons. 

The Royal Blind Asylum at Edinburgh. 

Before bidding adieu to Edinburgh, where the writer has 
passed many happy days with hospitable friends, please follow 
him into a very meritorious building, called The Royal Blind 
Asylum and School, at Edinburgh In company with a 
Scotch gentleman, the narrator a few years since visited the 
above institution. About two hundred and fifty blind per- 
sons, mostly men, were in the asylum. Nearly two hundred 
of these were engaged in different kiuds of industry, and all 
of them appeared anxious to do what they could towards 
their own maintenance. As we were shown through the 
various departments, it was astonishing to witness the alac- 
rity and ingenuity of the afflicted inmates, by the aptitude 
displayed in the different workings of their handicraft. 

Brushes, mats, mattresses, and all kinds of plain and 
fancy baskets were some of the articles manufactured there. 
The weaving was most interesting ; the working of the 
shuttle and threads of the looms seemed to be executed with 
close precision. In the mattress room our attention was 
directed to the fine but sightless face of a middle-aged man, 
who grew quite animated and eloquent in his conversation 
with us, respecting the large concourse of people who would 
probably be at the monster meeting, to be held that evening 
in the Waverley Market building, to listen to Mr. Glad- 
stone, in his great address on the franchise bill to the electors 
of AJ id-Lothian. 



230 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

In another room, a blind man was shown ns as an extreme 
case of affliction. This unfortunate some years ago went 
to his bed for slumber, and when the sun rose in the morning 
the patient realized the sad fact that his sight had left him 
in the night-time. His resignation was wonderful, and when 
we evinced our sympathy, the poor fellow smiled, and said 
the affliction happened a long time ago, and he was quite 
reconciled to his fate some while since. 

In the anteroom of the building were a number of porters. 
or messengers, awaiting to be sent out with goods or mes- 
sages to various parts of the city. Most of these men were 
totally blind, yet able to find their way about the " Modern 
Athens." as if by instinct, for Nature seems to have furnished 
them with very subtle and acute powers of hearing each and 
every motion of sound. Groat praise is due to those noble- 
hearted gentlemen, the founders and donors of this admir- 
able institution, on behalf of suffering humanity. Any 
American tourist, travelling to Europe, and visiting Scotland, 
would be much interested by inspecting this Asylum for the 
Blind. A large store, or show room, for the sale of articles 
made by the inmates, is in the front part of the building. In 
saying a last word of this laudable effort to assist the unfor- 
tunate, and of this home and shelter for the afflicted of God's 
creatures, and, as we may say, a refuge for those who, were 
it not for such grand institutions, would in some cases almost 
die of despair and discouragement, in ruminating on their 
blank and sightless lives, and dark future before them. It is 
pleasant to remember that England and America stand side 
by side in their Christian-like endeavors to alleviate pain and 
misery. Occupation, with remunerative encouragement, takes 
away, in some measure, the shadow from the patients' lives, 
and replaces a joyousness at times surprising to many of 
us to witness, when we, with our glorious vision unimpaired, 
behold the grandeur of the beauties of Nature and Art, and 
yet oftentimes murmur at our lot in this bright world of ours. 

Excursions from Edinburgh. 

Every fine morning in summer time, Princes Street (the 
leading thoroughfare of Edinburgh) is teeming with tanned- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 231 

faced tourists, many Americans among them, hastening to 
the various excursion stages to Roslin Castle, Queensferry . 
and other places. Tlie drivers of these four-horse coaches 
are a sort of relict of bygone days ; they wear a faded, stained, 
scarlet coat, and an old-f:ishioned white hat, a typical Jehu of 
years ago, when Pickwick used to go abroad with Mr. Weller, 
senior. As we started in car or stage together, for the day 
or more, the company generally fraternized, and often very 
enjoyable times were spent thus, the Americans seeming 
pleased with all they saw, whether it was Edinburgh City or 
the ancient Castle, with its beautiful garden surroundings. 
Calton Hill by night gives a magnificent effect of illuminated 
views from its many terraces, looking down on the new town 
and below on the old town, with its circular range of electric 
and gas orbs, the myriads of which give the charming old 
city a wild, weird, and curious spectacle of panoramic vision, 
as far as the eye can reach. Arthur's Seat, being the highest 
peak, has superb views therefrom ; Holy rood Palace and its 
dark deeds of years ago ; Sir Walter Scott's magnificent monu- 
ment ; quaint old Stirling Castle, and its murders and bloody 
strife, on the adjacent fields of Bannockburn, between the 
English and Scotch ; Brace's monument, towering on the 
heights ; looking, as it were, towards the Bridge of Allan for 
a calm haven of rest from warfare. Then the charming 
windings of the Frith of Forth River make a steamboat ride 
very pleasant from Leith harbor to Stirling. 

Innumerable prett}* places there are on the coast, such as 
Portobello, Mussulboro, Aberdoir, sea-shore resorts in fine 
weather for tourists and natives. Some fine mornings, 
parties meet together for a few c^s' sojourn to the beauti- 
ful Trossachs, of which so much has been said and sung, 
and for charming scenery it is supposed to be unsurpassed, 
in its weird, wild grandeur of hill and lake views. 

In quitting Edinburgh, one feels like leaving an old friend ; 
yet we are in the cars en route to the busy city of Glasgow, 
where in two hours' time we alight and proceed to the wharf 
for the steamer to carry us across the Irish Channel to 
Dublin ; dropping down the teeming, murky Cl} T de River, of 
ship-building industry fame, to Greenock, to take in more 
passengers. The indefatigable Yankee was on board, and 



232 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

had his share of a rough roll across the Irish Channel, the 
chopping seas and cross-currents making the fifteen hours' 
sail generally a sickly passage. 

Dublin. 

On entering Dublin Bay, the sight in the morning repays 
one for the discomfort of the night before. There was the 
usual confusion on landing, hack and cab drivers swearing 
and quarrelling to get the first passenger to fleece, importu- 
nate beggars in patches and rags offering their services for 
baggage carrying, etc., and till one is whirled away from 
the racket to his hotel, no peace is given. 

Dublin Oity is divided by a narrow river called the Liffey, 
and has numerous bridges. The best public buildings ap- 
peared to be the Four Courts, though thrre are man} 7 others. 
Sackville Street has some good stores, and is the fashionable 
promenade. Guinness' Stout Works is an immense build- 
ing, employing some hundreds of men. 

The Castle and other places of interest were pointed out 
by the Irish car-driver, with a mixture of sarcasm and dry 
wit. The jaunting-car is qui'e peculiar to the country, but 
they go fast, and one can view everything, besides hearing 
the remarks of the ragged driver. He wanted to know if I 
was from New York, and fifty other questions of the same 
calibre ; how he would like to go America, etc. He con- 
tinued talking and expatiating, as we drove through Phoenix 
Park, a magnificent place, with many fine old trees and 
beautiful emerald-green grass land. As my guide pointed 
out the spot where Lord Cavendish and Mr. Burke were 
murdered, almost opposite the viceroy's mansion, he sud- 
denly said, " Look, there is a fine view." It was truly a 
magnificent sight, looking out from the park. Then he 
said, " There is another sight, not quite so pleasant, " point- 
ing in the direction of Kilmanhain Jail, " where the poor 
boys were brought out and slaughtered ; bad luck to the tpal- 
peens that done it!" I remarked quietly, " The poor boys 
should not commit murder!" All over Phoenix Park were 
mounted constabulary stationed, as well as foot police, 
placing everybody, as it were, under strict surveillance and 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 233 

espionage. The burly car-driver gave the officials a few 
curses as we left the park, and soon afterwards stopped at a 
tavern, where he said they sold the best whiskey and stout 
in Dublin. In paying this man for the ride, and giving him 
his dram monev, we were satisfied for one day's recreation in 
Old Ireland. 

A few miles from Dublin is Kingston harbor, a splendid 
seaport, where vessels of large size can ride at anchor in its 
roads. The Duke of Edinburgh and the channel fleet were 
off Kingston during our short visit. The Queen's second 
eldest son is admiral of these fine men-of-war, and hoisted 
his pennant on the flag-ship of one of the largest. The 
clean, orderly appearance of these steam war-ships was very 
noticeable, and the healthy-looking jack tars appeared as if 
they could fig'd when needed. 

Dublin to Cork. 

The long steam-car ride from Dubliu to Cork gives the 
tourist a fine opportunity of seeing many Irish counties, 
passing through Tipperary, Limerick, Clonmell, Kildare, 
and several others. As we proceeded, some painful scenes 
of parting at the country stations were witnessed ; the old 
father and aged mother clinging in a wild embrace over a 
daughter or son, about leaving for America, sobbing and 
wailing as the conductor gave the signal, and friends trying 
to separate parents and children, was a melancholv scene ; 
but it is astonishing how soon the young people recover from 
the separation, when on board the ocean steamer, and do 
any amount of flirting. 

In due time we arrived in Cork, which is a pretty lively 
city, with some business pretensions, and like Dublin, a 
narrow river divides the town. A very pleasant sail down 
Cork harbor in fine weather is truly enjoyable, the scenery 
being quite picturesque. 

We arrived at Queenstown's natural harbor (a few miles 
from 'Cork) on a Saturday evening, and next morning at 
nine o'clock we were ordered on board a tug to meet the 
New York steamer " Austral," which was expected from 
Liverpool about that time ; her big hull did not come in 



234 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

sight, however, till twelve o'clock, noon; when we immedi- 
ately boarded her, en route to America once more, this being 
the fifth experience of the writer's crossing the Atlantic. 

London and its Environs. 

When in London (this journey) the narrator was pleased 
to give several American gentlemen and ladies some infor- 
mation respecting the great metropolis and its environs, 
including such institutions of recreation and learning as the 
British Museum and its magnificent reading-room ; South 
Kensington Museum and fine-art galleries; the Health Ex- 
hibition at the superb Albert Hall ; the horticultural Mower 
shows, and the Botanical and Zoological Gardens, Regent's 
Park. 

The finest parks in the world may be chosen from the 
following : Hyde Park, St, James Park, near Buckingham 
Palace and gardens, and Regent's Park are situated west- 
ward ; southward is Battersea Park, on the banks of the 
Thames River, a truly magnificent place of modern formation 
for the people, with recreation grounds for cricket, base-ball, 
and bicycle-riding avenues ; while to the north there are 
Alexander Palace, Finsbury and Victoria Parks, a great 
boon to the poor workers of East and North London. 

In connection with these public enclosures, there are fine- 
art exhibitions in buildings built for the purpose, and of the 
yearly exhibition of choice, beautiful flowers of these parks 
it would take long to tell. One pleasing feature is, that at 
the end of each summer season a distribution of flowers is 
made to the deserving poor, on application to the park 
authorities, and the gladsome sight of little potted shrubs 
' decorating the window sills of the hard workers of this 
immense city is often witnessed. 

There are numerous other parks outside of London, of 
which we shall speak later on. 

In the western district of London the renowned Royal 
Academy's annual exhibition of pictures by modern artists, 
on view at Burlington House, is always attractive. The 
National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square, is a building devoted 
to the works of old masters in art. Overlooking this gallery 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 235 

of ancient memories is the Nelson Column, built of granite ; 
and the "little admiral" on his lofty pedestal seems to be 
looking towards Westminster Bridge, and surveying the 
" Queen's Navee," and no doubt is surprised at the innova- 
tions of modern warfare by iron-clads from the old double- 
deckers of wooden ships in Nelson's time. We may add 
that at the base of Admiral Lord Nelson's monument, as if 
on guard, are four colossal lions in bronze, modelled by Sir 
Edwin Landseer, while the four sections of plaques around 
the plinth are emblematical of the different sea-fights by 
Nelson and his brave officers and sailors against England's 
enemies. These works of art are executed in bronze metal, 
and the figures stand out in bold relief. 

Concerning the immense fabric of the Houses of Parliament 
(Lords and Commons) a day's visit of its interior and exte- 
rior would not suffice to survey its beauts 7 of architecture and 
magnificent surroundings ; millions of dollars were spent in 
its building, and many years were taken in the completion of 
the colossal and superb erection of this ornamental and figur- 
ative pile of artistic sculpture work. 

Nearly opposite to the Houses of Parliament is the venera- 
ble Westminster Abbey, with the stain of all weathers for 
centuries darkening the ancient structure in its many nooks 
and corners. The interior of this historic building, with the 
numerous sculptured kings, queens, knights, fair ladies, and 
people of note, is mute evidence of the passing away of 
greatness, lying in dust beneath the Hag-stones of the abbey. 
In its proper place a concise description of this ancient edifice 
will be offered the reader for perusal. 

A wonderful improvement to London and Londoners is 
the noted Thames Embankment, which reclaimed some hun- 
dreds of acres of black mud and wharves and transformed 
them into beautiful garden promenades for the people ; a 
work of years, costing a mint of money, but the many mil- 
lions of pounds sterling were well laid out for the welfare 
of humanity. There are numerous granite and iron bridges 
which span the Thames River, and connect north and south 
districts with the ever-restless, teeming population of London, 
wending their way backwards and forwards, in pursuance of 
their daily business. 



23(5 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

The English Coast. 

For some miles down the busy Thames River are numerous 
popular shore resorts, commencing with Greenwich Park, a 
noted place for Britishers to take tea and shrimps, flirt, 
dance, and play at the game of kiss-in-the-ring, on Easter 
or Whitsuntide. A large government building called Green- 
wich Hospital and Training School for orphan boys, is situ- 
ated here, where hundreds of poor lads are boarded, clothed, 
and educated, mostly for a seafaring life. A large ship, 
fully rigged, is in the school-yard for the pupils' instruction, 
care being taken to place netting about the vessel, in case of 
boys falling from aloft. Some eminent naval officers have 
in early life graduated from this institution. Adjacent to 
this humane retreat used to be the old pensioners' or decayed 
seamen's home, for worn-out sailors of her Majesty's service. 
In the hospital museum are to be seen Admiral Nelson's coat 
and vest, with the shot-hole received on board the Hag-ship 
"Victory." at the battle of Trafalgar, which ended in the 
valiant hero's death. About five miles down the river 
Thames is Woolwich dock-yard and arsenal, known all over 
the world for its large ordnance and armory manufactories, 
the English government employing some thousands of men 
making the munitions of warfare. Woolwich Common is a 
large tract of land used for military parades and manoeuvres, 
similar to the camp at Aldershot. Away down the river at 
this point it widens considerably. On approaching the 
ocean are situated places dear to English people, Gravesend, 
of famed popularity, Margate, Broadstairs, and Heme Bay. 
also Ramsgate, are sea-shore resorts much frequented in the 
summer time for the fine beach bathing and a general good 
time of fun and frolic, or rest in the quieter districts. Still 
farther along the coast line are the towns of Deal and Dover, 
in full view of the shifting, treacherous Goodwin Sands, 
which in winter time is a fearfully dangerous locality to mari- 
ners. The Deal lifeboatmen are invariably spoken of as 
great heroes in venturing out in a gale to save life, often at 
the risk and loss of their own. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 237 



Places of Interest. 



The open spaces of London (seldom spoken of by writers), 
such as the green, cultivated squares, are somewhat wonder- 
ful in their number, considering the increased value of land ; 
but as a recreation ground for the fortunate children whose 
parents' houses surround the enclosures, the boon must be a 
very agreeable change from the noisy rattle of the paved 
streets. 

Many are the innumerable theatres, music halls and other 
places of amusement, such as Madame Taussad's noted life- 
like wax-work exhibition, etc. 

The Tower of London, with its deeds of blood, on Tower 
Hill, is historic enough, but painful to ruminate on, though 
visitors still flock through its ancient portals, and view the 
racks of arms and see the royal diadem and jewels, protected 
in an iron cage. The sufferings and deaths of the martyrs, 
years ago, are vividly explained to the tourist by a " yeoman 
of the guard" on duty at the Citadel. 

Adjacent to the Tower of London is the Royal Mint, 
where the British coin is manufactured. A file of soldiers 
continually guard this building as they do the Bank of Eng- 
land at night. East and West India docks, St. Katharine's 
docks, and miles of other docks and wharfage are in this 
neighborhood. 

We leave this busy place for the Whitechapel district, 
where the miscreant and vile assassin, the so-called "Jack 
the ripper," performed his exploits of wanton, diabolical 
butchery on an unfortunate class of defenceless women, 
which is almost without parallel in its significance, when we 
consider the army of police officials in London and its en- 
virons ; and yet this fiend in human form, up to date, has 
not been captured. 

Leaving this for a more pleasant subject, though in the 
same locality, we allude to the noble building called u The 
People's Palace," where are accommodations for twenty-five 
hundred poor bo} r s and girls, who are thus taken care of, 
learn trades, and are taught in various branches, including 
the sciences. Occasional concerts at cheap rates of two 
pence and three pence admission are some of the boons of 



238 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

this laudable undertaking. A large gymnasium, a spacious 
swimming-bath, and a large rotunda, with seats for tired 
wayfarers, are other thoughtful items for the poor of this 
district. The kindly donors who organized the People's 
Palace felt it was a needed waut, and a commemoration of 
the Queen's Jubilee. The Bank of England, the Mansion 
House, headquarters of the presiding Lord Mayor of London, 
and Guildhall all lay nestled together, as it were, flanked 
with a whole host of venerable churches and St. Paul's 
Cathedral, near by ; and the innumerable other places of 
interest almost forbids the writer to go on, as the Rarahle> 
would never be ended in this Babylon of a city. 

But a few words, in passing, about the ancient corpora- 
tions or guilds of London. The Lord Mayor of the city of 
London is chosen annually from the aldermen of the ward in 
which he belongs. These old institutions date back for cen- 
turies, and foremost amongst the number of guilds are the 
Goldsmith Company, partly so called, as this company is 
deputed by the English government to assay or test all man- 
ufactured silver and gold articles made in Great Britain, and 
to examine by competent assayers and determine whether 
the goods are made of the standard quality of metal provided 
by law. The articles are left at eight o'clock in the morning, 
and returned at eventide, if found correct. A duty per 
ounce is paid to the government, and so much per ounce. 
termed " marking," paid to the assayers for their trouble. 
The silver and gold ware are then stamped with the official 
die mark, and all purchasers can tell whether the goods are 
genuine sterling metal or not. Severe punishment is inflicted 
on those who attempt to pass off spurious goods with forged 
government marks thereon. We might mention that in the 
mixing of the alloy with the pure silver or gold, should there 
be any error, intentional or otherwise, the assay office has 
the power to break up the articles, however costly, which they 
do, after a second or third test. 

By the charter of these rich guilds or companies, certain 
gifts to the poor freemen of the city of London are ex- 
tended, such as quarterly moneys, and sometimes food left 
over from banquets such as I am about to describe. Coming 
to an interesting episode in the writer's life in connection 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 239 

with Goldsmiths' Hall, we (my sister and myself) were 
invited by a kind friend with vouchers to a grand ceremony 
reception, and ball, given once in three years by the wor- 
shipful company of goldsmiths in their magnificent banquet- 
ing and dance halls. The side tables almost groaned with 
the weight of silver and gold plate belonging to these mer- 
chant primes, and champagne with other wines were to be 
had any time during the evening, ad libitum ; the menu also 
was of the choicest and most costly kind. The well-trained 
butlers in attendance at this sumptuous repast did their duty 
very obsequiously and well. The writer of these pages had 
the pleasure and honor of dancing with more than one of the 
aldermen's fair daughters on this festive occasion, and the 
toilets of the ladies were among those dazzling sights which 
are enough to bewilder any young man. The clear, rosy 
complexions and bewitching vivacity of those pretty English 
girls made them look very fascinating, as they glided around 
in the graceful waltz or moved in the more demure lanciers, 
the nimble feet of the dancers keeping time to the brilliant 
music, and the surroundings of wealth altogether was suffi- 
cient to cause a sigh that this exhilarating scene might last 
longer than a few hours' duration. The superb ball-room of 
the Goldsmith Hall, with its enrichment of carvings and 
decorative architecture, was a sight to behold ; and in- 
numerable shrubs, flowers, and exoties were placed at all 
convenient angles, on balconies and stairways, making the 
ancient hall look as if touched with a fairy's wand.. The 
gentlemen of the party, in their faultless full evening dress, 
looked gallant as they escorted their beautiful partners 
around the numerous anterooms, listening to the military 
band, and whispering the soft nothings so often told on 
such occasions. Several years have elapsed since this scene 
of festivity took place, but my fair sister till this day, when 
thinking of past memories, occasionally tells her little sons 
and daughters how their Uncle Alfred took her to a grand 
gathering at the renowned Goldsmiths' Hall. 

On resuming from this digression, the patient reader will 
accompany the writer along by the now open enclosure of the 
glorious and grand old pile of architectural beauty, Saint 
Paul's Cathedral, so full of historic interest as the resting- 



240 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

place of England's heroes, soldiers, and sailois, who fought 
and hied for their country. This magnificent edifice was 
the greatest work of the eminent architect. Sir Chiistopher 
Wren. 

Passing round the cathedral to Ludgate Hill and Fleet 
Street, we come to a labyrinth of courts and alleyways, near 
where Temple Bar formerly stood, and where the famed 
writers of days gone by. Ben Jonson, Oliver Goldsmith. 
Boswell and many others used to meet at their club gather- 
ings at the old-fashioned coffee-houses .and taverns, for dis- 
cussion and hilarity. We pass on to what used to be called 
Temple Gardens, in the midst of which stands a line, ancient, 
sacred edifice, named " The Temple Church." The windings 
of Old London are here perceived, running down to the 
banks of the Thames embankment, and the venerable build- 
ings in the quadrangles, courts, and alleys are chiefly occu- 
pied by lawyers, barristers, and benchers of the Temple. 
The writer of this book, years ago, on Sabbath days often 
visited Temple Church, listening to good sermons and excel- 
lent singing of the well-trained choristers. A calm, subdued 
tone always seemed to rest in this sacred place, just aside 
from the busy hum of Fleet Street. The pillars supporting 
the interior roof of the stately Temple Church were found 
out by accident a few years since to be encrusted with a sort 
of cement, which being carefully removed, discovered pol- 
ished marble, and the pillars have been since thoroughly 
restored. 

Memorable of Temple Gardens in times past is the episode 
of Judge Gascoine and Prince Henry, afterwards King Henry 
VI. of England. A friend of the prince (a young noble- 
man) was about to be sent to prison for some miner offence, 
when Prince Henry, exasperated at the judge's decision 
against his boon companion, suddenly rushed forward and 
struvk Judge Gascoine on the face. In those days of the 
early fourteenth century, royalty was almost supreme ; but 
the learned judge did not shrink from his duty, and speedily 
had his young princely assailant arrested, and sent to prison 
with his high-born friend. When the old King Henry V. 
was informed of his son's disgrace, he coincided in and 
applauded Judge Gascoine's firmness. 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 241 

The prince, awakening to a consciousness of his error, sub- 
milted without resistance to the jailers, and suffered his pun- 
ishment with a humility which provoked from his father's lips 
the celebrated exclamation : " Happy the king who possesses 
a magistrate resolute enough to discharge his duty upon such 
an offender, and happy the father who has a son so willing to 
submit himself to the law." 

It may be interesting to my readers to relate that in this 
part of London, near the Strand and Temple Bar, it has been 
my privilege at various times to meet the immortal Charles 
Dickens, as he wended his way to his publishers. Calm and 
dignified he ever appeared and in deep thought, no doubt 
ruminating of the many characters woven together in his 
writings from his fertile brain. Great are the changes around 
and about London since Dickens's death, but his name will 
always live in the memories of present and future generations 
as the champion of the poor and lowly. 

'! he Thames Tunnel, the popular underground Metropoli- 
tan Railway and numerous other places might int* rest the 
reader in the great metropolis, but we must ramble on for a 
while outside of London. There is the ever-attractive Crys- 
tal palace, at Sydenham, looking a little the worse for wear 
in the summer of 1884, but the charm of the ornamental 
garden grounds still remains, and the colossal fountains, with 
their many-hued sprays, accompanied with firework displays, 
are themes of never-ending pleasure to holiday folks. In the 
same county of Surrey is the unpretending but unique picture 
gallery at Dulwich. 

Windsor, in Berkshire, is a quaint old town, full of past 
events in relation to grand old Windsor Castle, with its 
numerous turrets, quadrangles and court-yards, and memo- 
ries in connection with historical associations as abodes of 
royally, for centuries, and is always replete with much inter- 
est to people from all climes. The Home Park, looking from 
the castle windows, is a fine stretch of beautiful cultivated 
land, with herds of deer grazing at their ease and security. 
A pleasant drive through the Home Park takes one to 
Virginia Water, a noted, placid lake. Kton College and 
grounds, a short distance from Windsor, is worthy of notice. 
We visited the chapel on Sabbath day, and the nine hundred 



242 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

college students, mostly wealthy men's sons, with their bright, 
healthy Knglish faces, was a comfortable sight to see of the 
well-to-do class of fortunate humanity. Quaint old Hampton 
Court palace and gardens (the home of decayed nobility), 
situated within view of the famed Thames River, has many 
pleasant associations. The vinery in the conservatories is 
said to produce some of the finest grapes in the world. 

Henley-on-Thames. 

During the regatta season, Henley is much patronized by 
American and Knglish visitors. Beautiful women, elegantly 
dressed, accompanied by fashionable -looking gentlemen, 
attend this popular gathering of riverside fashion. Some 
years ago, visiting friends at Henley (near the old bridge) 
for the boating season, gave the writer good opportunity to 
observe the myriads of faces attending the aquatic carnival 
of balmy June. The placid flowing river Thames is seen 
here at its best; miniature islands dot its surface for miles, 
and the various windings of the stream give a peculiar 
charm to this famed floating rendezvous. Oftentimes at 
early morn have we, in a light boat, rowed along by the side 
of its charming, umbrageous banks, the numerous willow.-, 
and other drooping trees dipping into the calm waters. The 
eight-oared and single-scull races are exciting events of the 
season in this bon-ton place, in the same way as the Oxford 
and Cambridge universities' annual eight-oared boat-race 
from Putney Bridge to Mortlake are the grand aquatic con- 
tests for the masses of people of every degree that line the 
shores at this popular time. 

Numbers are the quaint, beautiful nooks and corners of 
old Father Thames in its solitude beyond Richmond, such as 
the neighboring hamlets of Hampton, Sunbury, Teddingtou, 
Cookam, Marlow, Oxford, and other innumerable well-known 
fishing haunts, so dearly prized by the angler in his piscatory 
rambles, either at shore or gliding on the silent stream by 
fishing-boat, up the river. 



E AMBLES IN AMERICA. - 243 

Richmond Park. 

A few -miles nearer to London is Richmond Park, and a 
drive through Bushey Park to Richmond is almost beyond 
description, when the chestnut-trees are in bloom ; the beau- 
tiful foliage of large growth extends through about four miles 
of umbrageous avenue, and while the bloom lasts, thousands 
of visitors from all parts view this unique specimen of Na- 
ture's handiwork. 

Richmond, in Surrey, is always a popular resort, being a 
pleasant ride of about twelve miles from London, by road or 
rail ; the journey to the quiet old country town is always 
popular. It is situated on the banks of the flowing Thames 
River, and just outside of the town's limits is Richmond 
Park, with its glades of woodland scenery, and hill and dale 
verdure for the countless herds of fallow deer and hind 
pasturing quietly there. This spot, overlooking the placid 
river below, is famed in picture and song ; some artists were 
sketching the fine views during our short visit there. 

The " Star and Garter " hotel is well known to English 
people, and we guess to many Americans also. Being adja- 
tent to the entrance gates of Richmond Park, the prospect 
from the upper windows of this famed hostelry is truly 
charming, when one has rested, and partaken of a good din- 
ner here. We think it a very appropriate spot, as the poet 
did when he composed that old and once verv popular song, 
" The Lass of Richmond Hill." 

Kew Gardens. 

Taking a seat in one of the fast little river steamboats, we 
soon arrived at the well-known and justly celebrated Kew 
Gardens. The extent and culture of this mnguificent domain 
of Crown lands is truly astonishing and interesting. Miles 
of conservatories and greenhouses are in these gardens ; and 
on a national holiday, like Whit-Monday, some 100,000 peo- 
ple pass through the grounds, and seldom injure any of the 
well-preserved shrubs or plants devoted by the government 
for the recreation of the masses, be they rich or poor. 

These are some of the leading attractions to strauaers and 



244 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

tourists of other lands. Nearly all these places named above 
are easy of access, and mostly free in the charge of admission. 
The new Inns of Law Courts in London might be mentioned, 
in passing, as the last completed building of large size ; eight 
years were consumed in erecting, and some persons say the 
structure is a failure, internally and externally. Bad venti- 
lation, draughty, long passages, and something wrong with 
the sound in the -Judges' Court and Chambers, make the 
new Law Courts, which cost almost a mint of money, a very 
unpopular building enterprise. 

It would be out of my province, as a chronicler of " Ram- 
bles in America," to dilate on topics of another country, yet 
it is well known that Americans are interested in other coun- 
tries ; so I will in a cursory manner just give a passing glance 
on two or three items in closing, this book. The writer would 
strongly advise all his friendly readers to take a trip across 
the Atlantic, and view for themselves the amount of historic 
lore to be found in London, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, 
and the numerous laige provincial cities and towns, such as 
Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, York, Sheffield, and Bir 
mingham. Of the two latter cities, they have been wonderfully 
improved and extended in the ten or twelve years since our 
last visit. 

Sheffield, in Yorkshire. 

Having an evening to spare, the writer inquired of a store- 
keeper the best theatre in Sheffield. The merchant informed 
him that for a good night's entertainment he would suggest 
the " Star Music Hall," owned by a man called •' Squint 
Milner," who formerly trained Jem Mace, a fighting man of 
notoriety. The variety show was a curious place of amuse- 
ment of the rough-and-ready kind for the unwashed element 
of the city, grimy from their work, and mostly collarless, 
with the pallid hue of the workshop on them ; they sat list- 
lessly sipping their beer, sometimes making remarks on the 
male or female singers, or in conversation amongst them- 
selves ; very quiet and orderly. The band of three pieces 
was very weak, in contrast to the shrill voice of the Amazon 
singer on the little stage. But the most puzzling feature of 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 24."> 

the place was the concert hall picture gallery. The works 
of art were of all sizes, mostly framed, and the pictures varied 
in talent and tint, being good, bad, and indifferent; the to- 
bacco smoke of the nightly revellers had somewhat dimmed 
the painting subjects, and taken the varnish from the can- 
vases, causing the begrimmed and fumed wall to serve as a 
dark background for the old and modern masters. The taste 
of the owner of these oil paintings, however, was not a vul- 
gar one, as most of these pictures testified, being free from 
offensiveness to the sensitive eye. 

We visited the Messrs. Rogers' Cutlery Works in this city, 
and as quantities of their goods are used in America, a word 
or two may prove interesting. The courteous manager (Mr. 
Donaldson) deputed a man to show the writer through the 
building. We saw the process of steel knife-blade making 
in all its branches ; ivory handles of pen, pocket, and table 
knives were commenced and finished. There are three 
branches of workshops of this firm in the city, employing some 
fifteen hundred men and boys. The workshops are very old- 
fashioned and small, and divided up for forging, butting, and 
grinding. The English factories do not bear comparison 
with the New England workshops and mills ; with good light, 
spacious, and well ventilated, the workrooms of America 
give men a fair chance to live their time out. In the well- 
appointed show-room of the Messrs. Rogers, a large-bladed 
handle knife is shown the visitor ; it has 1,885 blades, one 
for each year of the Christian era. A new blade is added 
every year ; soon a larger handle will have to be made. The 
Prince of Wales, a few years ago, was much interested and 
pleased with this huge-bladed weapon. 

Birmingham. 

From Sheffield to Birmingham is a very pleasant railway 
ride of some seventy-five miles, passing through the busy 
manufacturing towns of Derby, Nottingham, and Tamworth, 
with a goodly show of English scenery of a very damp kind, 
for it was rain, rain, rain, day after day ; light showers in 
Scotland, heavy downpours in the Yorkshire district, but 
without the proverbial fog, which tourists to Great Britain 



24»! RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

are so fond of dilating on, though vapory fog is found in 
New England now, almost as often as in old England. 

Arriving at the depot of this city, one is struck with its 
magnitude and loftiness. This luisy station's trade for rail- 
way passenger and goods traffic is enormous. A fine line of 
express trains run daily to London and other business 
centres. The magnificent depot of Birmingham, just fin- 
ished, in its extension and alterations of immense amplitude, 
stands side by side with St. Pancrass (of London), Great 
Northern, Northwestern (Euston Square), Southwestern, or, 
in fact, any big depot in the world. 

Sunday evening in Birmingham is quiet and orderly as a 
Sabbath should be. In company with some friends, we 
went to church, evening service, heard a good discourse, and 
a pleasant recital of the oratorio of "Judas Maccabeus," by 
the minister, then very beautifully sung by a well-trained 
quartet and chorus of good voices. 

Next day we inspected the leading thoroughfares of the 
city, and fine stores In the evening visited Birmingham 
Opera House, to see the renowned French tragic actress, 
Sara Bernhardt, perform in one of the best selections from 
her repertoire. So much having been written favorably of 
this talented actress as a great artiste of the lyric stage, we 
must indorse the world's opinion of this gifted lady, for her 
power of tragedy acting is almost wonderful ; some of her 
deep tragic scenes were almost too painful to witness, by their 
close intensity in the resemblance to real acting of life-drawn 
conception of character. The exertion of such violent out- 
bursts of passion in her declamation, one would imagine, 
would be too much for Mich an apparently weakly formed 
woman. She must have inward strength somewhere, for there 
was no lack of vitality in her tragic force of delineation on 
the stage. Madame Bernhardt was well supported in her 
company. 

Day's Music Hall, in Birmingham, is one of the hand- 
somest in Great Britain, and almost surpasses the late Al- 
hambra Concert Hall, Leicester Square, London, which was 
destroyed by fire some } - ears ago, but since rebuilt. Day's 
Hall was crowded to the doors on the night we entered the 
building, and the entertainment was first class in most every 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 247 

particular. The usual motley assemblage of both sexes was 
there, from the apprentice boy to the drivelling old man, and 
a sorry sight was the young girls of tender age present at 
this Babylon of mirth and revelry, interspersed with sugges- 
tive jokes and coarse singing. The design and architecture 
of this place are magnificent ; there is not a vestige of pillar 
of any kind to obstruct the view of the spacious stage and 
well- painted scenery. 

Before saying farewell to Birmingham and it* kindly peo- 
ple, just a word or two respecting a very popular resort on 
the outskirts of the city, called " Ashton Hall," a fine build- 
ing, with museum combined, giving recreation with instruc- 
tion in its various rooms. The grounds of cultivated gardens 
attached to the Hall were in splendid condition, the chief 
and favorite shrub being the geranium in all varieties, formed 
into beds and plots of different designs, in borders of other 
flowers and plants. Children, attended by their parents and 
nurses, flock here in great numbers, and enjoy the fragrance 
of the beautiful flowers of this domain, liberally extended 
to them by the munificence of Birmingham's kind-hearted 
donors. 

Westminster Abbey. 

A few clays prior to our departure for New York, we 
entered the sacred pile of buildings, AVestminster Abbey, 
and the minor canon who preached the sermon was the chief 
officiating clergyman of the five assisting ministers of that 
Sunday morning service. The discourse was suitable to the 
occasion, with a good deal of practical good-sense and some 
pathos, delivered in a very pleasant manner. The speaker, 
on looking around the venerable cathedral, noticed quite a 
number of strangers present, mostly Americans, and called 
attention to the fact by remarking how many were there for 
the first and last time, perhaps ; and by the next Sabbath 
day would in all probability be scattered far and wide, to 
the four quarters of the globe ; and in sequence, as it were, 
bidding the majority a final farewell in a theme of religious 
exhortation of the good-will of the Almighty in protecting 
us, thus far, in the perils of land and water ; impressed us 



248 RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 

with the attributes of the divine power and counsel, and led 
his hearers,, in grave earnestness, to endeavor b}' a godly 
Christian life to merit the merciful intercession. The sing- 
ing and chanting by the fifty men and boy choristers ( in 
white surplices) were very solemn and imposing. 

The cloisters of the grand old abbey appeared much 
decayed and in a crumbling state, similar to some other old 
cathedral cloisters in England ; but we found St. Giles 
Cathedral, of Edinburgh, in a good state of repair, being of 
more modern erection; and Canterbury Cathedral edifice 
in a fair state of preservation. The verger of this abbey 
points out to the inquisitive traveller the exact spot where 
Thomas a Becket was struck down and ruthlessly murdered. 

Venerable Westminster Abbey, though in parts crumbling 
from old age and the action of the weather, and blackened 
by exposure to rain and wind-storms, yet retains its many 
vivid associations of days gone by ; and the numerous aisles 
are more frequented by visitors of all nationalities than even 
the grand, imposing Saint Paul's Cathedral and crypt, which 
contains the remains of a long list of warriors and other 
eminent personages who have served their country's welfare. 
In looking on Charles Dickens's grave, at Westminster Abbey, 
though in close proximity with the illustrious dead, the plain 
brass tablet of his name on the fiat tombstone indicated, as 
it were, the unassuming character of the great novelist, 
moralist, and truthful sketch writer of those of the humbler 
classes who laid dearest to his heart. 

Spurgeon's Tabernacle seemed to be a great resort for 
Americans ; in fact, quite cosmopolitan in its way of wel- 
coming all coiners, of every clime. The Sabbath day on 
which we went to hear the celebrated divine, we were fortu- 
nate in finding him at his post of duty, as his health is now 
very precarious. The Rev. Mr. Spurgeon spoke with all his 
old-time eloquence and earnestness, and with powerful 
though dulcet tones exhorted his hearers by forcible Chris- 
tian truths. The reverend gentleman has been much enfee- 
bled of late years with illness, but his remarkable reasoning 
voice is strong yet. with great pathos at times, as if the soul 
of the divine preacher seemed to vibrate with intensity of 
purpose, in his great wish to aid his fellow-men. The Tali- 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 249 

ernacle is said to hold eight thousand persons, and was filled 
in every part. 

New River Company, London, England. 

In closing this section of my book, on the vast metropolis, 
London, a paragraph from the New York Morning Journal 
of July 19, 1889, wherein is a cablegram announcing shares 
at a fabulous figure, may be read with interest : — 

" London, England, July 18, 1889. — A single share of 
the New River Company, which many years ago was origi- 
nally sold at the par value of £100, was disposed of at auc- 
tion yesterday for the immense sum of £122,81)0. This 
company supplies half of London with water, and owns 
many valuable estates, running down to the river's bank, 
which have increased in a course of years to almost fabulous 
worth. The financial growth of the famed New River Com- 
pany is something tremendous. Last year it declared a 
divid nd of £2,610 on each share." 

The source of the New River we think commences from a 
spring in one of the Knglish counties of Herefordshire, flow- 
ing through beautiful hind till it reaches the suburbs of Lon- 
don, and then is conveyed through large pipes to the mam- 
moth city. The scheme of supplying London with good, 
fresh, filtered water came from a Mr. Huuh Mydelton, a 
gentleman of means, who, with some wealthy friends, invested 
their all in this expensive project, and became poor by its 
comparative failure ; in time others took up the scheme, and, 
after passing through various vicissitudes, it ultimately, in 
after years, resulted in great success. The originator was 
knighted by the monarch then ruling, Charles I., and money 
was subscribed sufficient for the wants of Sir Hugh Mydel- 
ton, for his grand efforts. The writer of these rambles, 
when a boy. often used to fish in the beautiful New River, 
on the outskirts of London, to keep the water, we boys used 
to say, k< from getting fishy." But the river keepers invari- 
ably warned us off with threats of arrest, though the same 
officials used to net the waters at night-time. In some parts 
the New Hiver is very narrow, and appears as quite a small 
stream 



250 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 



Across the Atlantic ; Queenstown to New York. 

In returning to America from Great Britain, after a pleas- 
ant sojourn of three months' duration, and at the termination 
of a somewhat rough September voyage, we arrived safely 
in New York harbor by the steamship " Austral " (spoken of 
above) en route to my (then) New Bedford home. 

Kindly allow me, before 1 close these Rambles, to say : in 
describing our wanderings by sea and bind, my chief difficulty 
has been like many other writers, who cannot represent all 







they see ; the task is, what to leave out, which is oftentimes 
very puzzling, as there is so much that is edifying and beau- 
tiful of the world's grand arena, which to omit mentioning is 
no easy matter. One can only hope, in the many journev- 
ings spoken of, that the spirit ami the wide range of travel 
have been entered into with careful accuracy, as it would be 
almost impossible to describe in true form the varied beauties 
of Nature's great and sublime handiwork as they really are, 
and how inadequate would any pen-picture be, however 
graphically written. In thanking the patient reader for his 
company in my " Rambles of Past and Present Time," we 
trust that the descriptive sketches of place and character 



RAMBLES IN AMERICA. 251 

herein depicted may have been such as to amuse, instruct, 
and beguile the tedium of a passing hour ; and, like the 
artist's illustration of the ocean steamer just hove to at her 
moorings, the writer of these pages can rest for a time, after 
his manifold labors, which, though attended with many cares, 
have ever been a great source of pleasure to him. 



The End. 


































































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